Akame Ga Kill! Negative Universe: Kill The Scandal
by XeriC IoniX
Summary: Takes place in the AGK universe [Anime Continuity] that's very similar. At the same time, very different than the world you knew...
1. Prologue

Prologue

 **Life or Death. For too long, those were the only two choices that mattered in a world filled with desperation and misery. With faceless elites abusing their power, The Capital was a cruel city where the small folk were treated like cattle for fun and torture. With thousands of villages outside the major cities struggling to survive out in the wild, life was turbulent.**

 **Just when there was no hope left, two powerful generals of the Empire would have a revelation: That their position will lead to a movement that could change the way of life for the Empire forever. Unfortunately, the two differed on how to reach that revelation, leading to a tragic fight that separated each other, along with their friends, family and followers. This was no secret to the people of the Capital.**

 **Although the city was lacking crime and disorder, they were concerned about the circumstances of the two factions that came ever since the battle in the outskirts of the Capital. A dangerous force called The Revolutionary Army has raised their flags in rebellion and the Empire's state of a new government and military is unknown. One thing is certain, a huge destructive war is on the horizon.**

 **The fate of the Empire rests in the victors of The Imperial Civil War…**


	2. Chapter 1: Kill The Savagery

Outside the borders of the Capital is a world of unpredictable events, villagers would encounter monsters, sometimes a safe village, but no one would've imagined they would find a little girl wielding a powerful weapon…

Its beautiful sights and bright sunny days can be deceiving to the reckless, for anything is bound to happen with the slightest movement or a long period of silence.

For it is a land ruled by the wicked and predators, roaming around, looking for their next victim. Only the wisest and strongest of warriors survive in the wild. Many villagers' lives were depended on such warriors, to save them from the monsters they call: "Dangerbeasts."

A group of people were riding in a horse carriage through the woods. It was silent and empty, which is frighteningly enough to leave them incredibly nervous.

"Have your weapons ready..." Said the man behind the carriage.

"Dad, I'm scared." His son replied, hiding behind crates of food while covering himself with a blanket in fear.

"I know you're afraid, Mondo." His mother said calmly. "But we must remain strong if we want to head back home." She then handed him a crossbow.

"I just… wish everything wasn't so hard..." Mondo whimpered, his hands shaking as he could barely hold his weapon.

"I know, Mondo. But that's how it is..." His father said with gloom.

Mondo shed a tear. He tried to stand up and look out for any dangerbeasts. For what felt like an hour long trip, nothing happened.

"I don't like the look of this, Richard." The mother said.

"I know, Masami. It's too quiet around here." He replied.

Both Richard and Masami, along with their guards, kept a sharp eye out for anything approaching them. Soon they heard some huge stomps and tree branches being ripped apart.

"Oh my god… This is not good..." Masami said, starting to panic.

"It doesn't sound like a small Dangerbeast..." Richard gasped.

A giant rock then flew up in the air and almost crushed the carriage. "What the hell was that?!" Richard screamed. The stomping got louder and louder, with everyone beginning to shake in fear.

Suddenly, a huge ape came flying in the air and landed 10 feet beside them.

"Oh my god!" Mondo screamed. Richard scrambled to aim his crossbow at the beast. He shot several bolts at its chest, but it had no effect.

"Oh no! Our weapons are useless!" Richard panicked.

"Let's get out of here!" Masami screamed.

The horses then started to sprint, but it was no good. The ape's near-boundless agility allowed him to easily make far-reaching jumps. The ape then leapt up and crushed the horses as they tried to flee. They were dead before they knew it. Suddenly, two strangers appeared out of the trees.

One is a blonde outlaw-looking female with a brown hat and red scarf shooting with her duel pistol. The other was a blond male warrior with the lower half of his face covered with a mask. The male then charged with his spear.

The outlaw made a piercing shot at one of the ape's eyes as the blond man stabbed its chest.

"Where did they come from?!" Masami shouted.

"Who cares?!" Mondo replied. "They're holding it back!" The family kept running away as they watched the two strangers fighting the dangerbeast.

The ape almost grabbed the spear and the blond man jumped away with a backflip after getting his weapon off the chest.

"Doya! Don't shoot the other eye!" He said rather calmly while raising his voice.

"Sorry, Natala! But we have to make it vulnerable!" She replied.

The ape then grabbed a tree branch and threw it at them.

Doya ducked down as Natala cut the branch in half. "Remember what she said! We need to leave an opening for her!" She said.

"I know! Just keep the target occupied" Natala responded cooly.

After Natala jumped out of the path, Doya started to shoot at its feet. The ape clasped its hands together and smashed them to the ground.

Doya rolled out of the way and continued to fire at the ape, it tried to grab her, but Natala slashed its back with his spear. The beast roared in pain. Doya and Natala braced themselves for potential counter-attacks.

"Keep it distracted!" Natala yelled. The ape went for a massive punch right after he said that. Natala quickly jumped backwards to evade the attack.

Doya shot at its shoulders. In return, the ape charged at her, but she ran back as Natala sliced its feet.

The ape clinched its hands and teeth. It rose up and roared angrily slamming its fists up and down, causing the ground to shake violently. Both Natala and Doya almost lost their balance.

Natala tried to get back on his feet and threw his spear aiming right for its shin. The ape growled in pain and fell down on one knee.

Doya shot at the ape's legs with the ape struggling to stand. Natala ran closer to the ape to get his spear off the shin. She ran out of bullets. "Natala, withdraw!" She warned him.

Natala recovered his spear, but it was too late. For the ape gripped him tightly.

"Natala!"

"This fight has just concluded." He smirked.

Suddenly, a young girl, dressed in rags, wielding a katana, riding an agile saberwolf, jumped into the air and landed on the ape's back. She immediately stabbed the back of its neck.

The ape roared in despair and it fell forward, chest first. The girl then gently dropped to the ground and put her katana into its sheath.

Natala, Doya and the ape disappeared in a dark purple flash.

"Finally caught a strong Dangerbeast for my collection." The girl said before disappearing. "That will stop him from causing trouble to the villagers."

She headed to the direction where the family's carriage went. As she walked forward, she was looking around to see if anyone was going to restrain or kidnap her.

For some time now, she's been a wanted girl in the capital. 100 gold will be given for anyone who could find her. This little girl's name is Kurome.

She roams around beyond the outskirts of the capitol, away from civilization. The Capital was home to most of the Empire's rich and powerful elites. She used to work for the Empire ever since she was sold off as a young child along with her older sister, Akame.

As long as she could remember, they both served as assassins, ordered to kill anyone the Empire sought dead, after years of brutal training.

Her particular unit was provided with combat drugs that enhanced their speed and agility, but they never knew about the painful side effects that were purposely mimicked to fuel their addiction.

When they took their combat drugs, they start to feel stronger as their reflexes and senses increased tenfold. However, after a day has passed, they would start to feel symptoms that gradually get worse with every hour.

Conjunctivitis, dry hacking coughs, long headaches, loss of appetite, photophobia, weakness and dizziness, muscle pain, severe body fatigue and before they knew it, death.

Kurome depended on these drugs more than anyone in the old team of assassins she used be part of. Memories of her past, especially the worst she's been through, give her the worst emotional pain she's ever felt.

She carried a bag of pills that enhanced her strength and speed. The very same drugs that both helped and hurt her. However, they were stolen after a mission had gone terribly wrong.

Kurome kept walking to the path for what felt like hours have passed, but soon enough, she saw smoke in the sky from a distance.

"Finally… A village." She said to herself, exhaustedly.

Kurome took out her sword, raised it to the sky. Cracks of black lightning shot from it and she brought a mammoth back to life to lift her up to a tree branch, while still keeping herself and her big animal hidden from anyone.

She saw a dozen people, sitting around in a circle, surrounding the campfire as they were having dinner. There were tents all over the small field and many carriages containing clothing, food and weapons. She even found the same one that Richard and his family were riding in.

She began to think of a way to sneak in the camp without getting caught, just to take some meat and blankets for herself.

Although she could easily kill everyone by calling forth some of the most dangerous people and dangerbeasts she had slain with her sword, Kurome didn't want to take the risk of leaving behind a trail of blood and bodies that the Empire could use to track her down.

She quickly but silently ran into the field and went inside the carriage closest to her. Only one man heard a faint footstepping sound. Mildly alert, he checked around the camp to see what caused the sound, but saw nothing suspicious.

"Hey, Koji!" Someone called out to him. "You've been walking around for hours without breakfast or lunch. Come over here and take a quick break."

Koji walked away and completely dismissing the sound as probably a rabbit or a deer.

Kurome then found her way inside one of the carriages. To her delight filled with raw dangerbeast meat, enough to last for almost a month. She didn't care if they weren't cooked, she was starving and would want to eat anything that's pure meat at this point. She began to drool just looking at it.

She would prefer eating candy, but there was little to no sweets she could find out in the wild. There were no candy stores, no candy factories, no little carts that sell candy either. Dangerbeast meat, fruit and water is all she could find for now.

Kurome carefully picked up a small cut off leg and began to eat quietly, which was hard for her to do.

As she continued to eat, she could hear people talking about two strangers saving their lives from that giant ape and wondered what happened to them while they were running away. She didn't seem to mind.

However, she heard a name that caught her attention.

"I can never let my guard down and die like a dog. I am not just her toy for her to torture. That bitch..." Koji grunted, all the anger and sorrow could be seen in his face.

"What's wrong? Who are you talking about?" Mondo asked.

"Esdeath..."

Kurome froze as soon as she heard him said that. It was a notorious name that's well known to any soldier and assassin working for the Empire, even to those who've never met her.

Kurome knew who Esdeath was, and knew about how she's a powerful general. Nicknamed "The Empire's Strongest", she also knew how she was on the battlefield, no one could outmatch her. But that was all she knew as she never heard the major details.

Even so, she's heard nothing but harsh and terrible things about her. But this time, Koji said something about Esdeath she's never heard before.

"Oh yes… Esdeath..." One elderly man responded with fear.

"The Ice Queen Killer." A random woman gasped.

"So… What about this… 'Esdeath?'" Mondo asked again, unaware of the look of horror in everyone's faces.

"Do you ever pay attention to us talking about what's going on outside?" Richard said, frustrated at his son.

"I'm sorry, dad." Mondo groaned apologetically. "You guys just bore me to death with the same topic and I can't do much here anyways."

"You need to grow up and be a man, Mondo." Richard said.

"But more importantly..." Koji interrupted. "You need to know about Esdeath. You wouldn't want to end up as one of her many victims. Would you?" He finished it with a sincere tone that left Mondo worried.

"Wha-wha-what's so dangerous about her?"

"She possesses the ability to control ice. She can make it appear out of anywhere, even without water. They say that everyone who's challenged her froze before they could strike."

Mondo gulped, his spine felt like it was grabbed by a ghost's hand. Feeling a strong grip that left him incredibly nervous.

"Scary, I know." Masami said.

"I also heard she's a fast as lightning." One other man added. "A battle with her ends in the blink of an eye..."

"And that… goddamn bitch always wins." Koji grunted.

"Ja-just... what on earth what is she?" Said Mondo, barely getting the words out of his mouth. "Some kind of big muscle bound barbarian of a woman?"

"Believe it or not, Mondo..." Richard said. "She's quite the opposite."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"She's got the body of a goddess, a gorgeous physique, the most beautiful woman you'll ever see… gargantuan breasts, long blue hair, and her eyes... icy blue like death... "

Mondo nervously chuckled. "You serious?"

"Yes, Mondo. Beautiful enough to turn the heads of any man within viewing distance." Masami replied, envious of Esdeath's beauty.

"Oh come on, how could someone like her be a killer? Surely somebody else or a dangerbeast could have done something like that! I imagine she wouldn't harm a fly."

Koji looked at him out of disbelief. "'Wouldn't harm a fly? Someone like her?' Are you serious?"

"What's wrong?"

"How dare you speak such ignorance!" Koji shouted. "You think that pure beauty is a sign of kindness?!"

"I didn't mean anything like that-"

"Shut your mouth!"

Mondo flinched back as Koji glared at him.

"Koji, get a hold of yourself! He just didn't know!" Masami yelled.

"Of course he doesn't know. Look at him!" He pointed at Mondo. "He's the kind of guy who dreams of beautiful women killing dangerbeasts!"

"Hey, don't look at me like that!" Mondo replied, a little embarrassed that Koji figured out his secret.

"Kid, you need to grow up and see the world around you." Koji continued as he tries to compose himself, but the anger can still be heard dripping from his voice.

"Not too long ago, I had an older brother and a very good friend of mine. My brother's name was Kenta and my friend's name was Ryoko. We all worked together to live our lives peacefully in a small town several leagues north of the capital."

Koji's voice slowly grew gloomy as he continues.

"I remembered back when Kenta and I were kids, How much he wanted to move to the Capital. We met Ryoko on that same town and we were still young teenagers. Just when my brother was preparing to head over to the city, Ryoko told us that she was a young spy working for the rebellion and revealed to us about the empire's plague of corruption."

Koji paused for a moment, feeling very depressed to remember the day when he saw his brother and Ryoko for the last time.

"Ryoko was pregnant. Kenta wanted to stay in the village with her to protect their children from dangerbeasts. They wanted some food and supplies, I agreed to head outside and bring what they needed. Ryoko gave me hug, my brother shook my hand, told me he was proud of me and happy to be with him in his life. I loved him. I loved Ryoko. They were the best team a man like me could ever ask for." His fist clenched tightly. His voice then got more angrier as he tells everyone what happened to his village when he came back.

"And then- and then… When I came back… That bitch destroyed everything. She murdered everyone! Everybody was either crushed from boulders and the wreckage, even children… She- she showed them no mercy… She had Ryoko and Kenta impaled through a wooden pole together!"

Everyone in the circle gasped, all eyes were on Koji, feeling nothing but sympathy for his loss and everyone that died.

"That's horrible!" Mondo mildly barked. "How could anyone be so cruel?"

"I heard she's from the North." One old man added. "And Northerners up there are all cruel and ruthless."

"How fitting that a woman with a cold heart would have powers of ice… I want to rip out her heart and carve it up until it's nothing, I want to give her a painful death. I'll never forgive her..." Koji said, his voice was a mix of anger and sorrow.

"I'm really sorry." Mondo said, feeling really bad for making a bad assumption to Esdeath.

Although everyone felt cold and scared after Koji told his story, No one was as horrified as Kurome. She feared that if she were to come back to the Empire for support of drugs and a new home, she might face severe punishment for insubordination and desertion.

Horrible and frightening thoughts started to swirl in her head. What would Esdeath do to her if she personally caught her? Will she torture her to death as her method of execution? Could her sister even stand a chance against the Ice Queen Killer? Will a life of endless running guarantee her safety?

"No..." She whimpered to herself. Closed her eyes as she covered her face, feeling unsure of how to save herself anymore. The stressful thoughts continued to loom around her head. Her body felt as heavy as her mammoth. The despair she felt was only getting worse.

Suddenly, the curtains were opened by Mondo, who just now spotted Kurome in a fetal position.

"What are you doing inside our meat storage?" He asked with a baffled look on his face.

"I- I just-" Kurome had a hard time speaking, not sure what to say.

"Hey, mom! There's a little girl inside our meat stash!" He called out Masami.

"Wha-wha-wait!" Kurome begged. "I just want-" Before she could say anything, Some other teenage girl appeared behind Mondo.

"Hey, you look familiar..." She said. Kurome was starting to panic.

"Is something wrong?" Mondo asked.

Kurome didn't respond, she was staring at the girl behind him, fearing that she saw her from the wanted posters.

"I swear I could've seen her..." She said.

"Saw who?" Masami asked, right before she arrived at the carriage. She recognized her face the instant she saw her. "My my my..."

"Really, little girl. Are you okay?" Mondo asked Kurome again.

"Mondo, that is Kurome. Remember?" Masami said calmly.

"No..." Kurome was stunned.

"Oh yeah… That's the girl from the posters." The girl said.

Kurome's heart was pounding fast, fearing that the camp will try to restrain her and hand her to the Empire.

"I was about to say that." Mondo replied. "What do we do with her?"

Nobody said anything, they just looked at Kurome who became visibly nervous. Masami slowly approached to the carriage and kindly raised her arm.

"Hey..." Masami said kindly.

Kurome took out her sword and immediately cutting through the folding head and ran away from the camp. "No! Get away!" She cried. Everyone just looked at her, unsure what to do with her.

"Wait, I just want to talk to you!" Masami shouted to her. Kurome didn't listen.

She ran and ran as fast as she could. Even if some people in the circle rode in on their horses to pursue her, they would never catch her.

Kurome then brought out a large tiger and held onto its back. As she continue to hold on, she could feel minor soreness in her arms. She lost her grip and fell down to the ground.

"Not now..." She groaned. The painful side effects was slowly coming back. Before she wanted to take another pill, she quickly looked around the woods for anyone watching her.

She then held the sword and brought back the ape she recently killed to help her escape. It gently pick her up with its huge hands and leaped away from the woods.

Many hours have passed, it was now nighttime and the rain was pouring in softly. Kurome finally found her hiding spot. It was under a pair of two tree branches and a large rock. She slowly crawled under the hole and lit a candle with a match. Both of which she stole a while back.

Kurome took her small bag of drugs out of her pocket. To her surprise, it was light as a feather. "No… No..." She muttered.

She then untied the bag and lift up the sack to drop whatever is left inside, only one pill dropped.

She gasped, staring at the pill like someone had took all of her money from her wallet. Her left hand shook as she tried to grab the pill and eat it.

"The last one..." she said. Kurome was now breathing heavily, scared that all of her supporting drugs are gone.

Kurome cringed in pain, confused on what she has to do now to get more of these pills if she needs the cure to her constant pain. She reluctantly swallowed the last pill.

She looked outside for any dangerbeasts nearby. To her relief, nothing was around. The sound of raindrops and the minor body aches were making her feel sleepy.

Kurome grabbed a small ragged pillow and laid down. She then covered her body with an old tarnished blanket and went to sleep.

As she closed her eyes, she felt uncomfortable. Her head felt itchy and mildly cold. Her body felt awkward. She kept switching sides to lay down to rest easy, but had little effect as she can feel herself waking up.

Seconds felt like minutes, minutes into hours and soon enough, felt like an unpleasant purgatory. Before she knew it, Everything felt like it was slowly fading out of existence. The sound of the rain is gone, feeling numb, she fell asleep at last.

But the worst has yet to come.

Clouds like light smoke surround the darkness. Gray lifeless dirt came from below, the rain came back and there's a strange ominous feeling where she felt empty, but increasingly present into the void of the smoking abyss.

Everything began to spin like a tornado. The clouds, ground and rain all mushed together and quickly formed some kind of water vortex. It pulled her into the end of the hole. Nothing seemed to matter.

Reality came back with a blurry haze, then immediately turned into the most traumatic day of Kurome's life. The last time she ever saw Akame.

She was running through the woods, heading over to the church where her sister was waiting.

Kurome kept running to the church and hoped to live a happy life together with Akame. She dashed up the stairs, fiercely pushing the through doors, and found Akame standing in the middle of the sacrament room.

"Akame!" She shouted worriedly, still running towards her. She hugged her tightly once she made it. "I thought you were dead..." She looked at her, directly to her eyes, red like blood.

"I would never let anything in the world to stop me from coming back to you, sis." Akame replied calmly.

"I'm so happy you're back..." Kurome hugged her again and Akame hugged back.

"Why do you want us to meet here?" Kurome asked.

"Because this is the only place we can be together privately."

"I swear I didn't tell anyone I was coming here. Just like you wanted me to in your letter."

"Thank you, sis."

"Seriously, Akame. My team and the Elite Seven were looking all over for you. It's like you were kidnapped or something, why did you escape?! You had me worried sick!" Kurome cried.

"I'm sorry, but it was the only way I could do to protect myself and find a way out of this madness. Not just for me, but for the both of us."

"Really?"

"Kurome… We've been living our lives under the Empire's thumbs for too long. For countless days and nights, we murdered people at their behest while they kept us tied on a leash like we're dogs. I've seen the truth. We've been their pawns carrying out injustice towards others, while they have been carrying out their own injustice towards us, our friends, everyone. But the injustice that pains me the most, is the one they're inflicting on you..."

"Injustice? I don't understand..."

"Kurome, are you not listening to me? They have used you as a tool. I know they tortured you in the experimental labs. Drugged you, and what I fear the most… perhaps even brainwashed you. I can never forgive them for all the horrible things they've done to you."

"Where are you getting this from?"

"There is a rebellion that knows the dark secrets of the Empire, really strong warriors. And not only that, but people who once held leadership and other high-ranking positions inside the Empire, long enough to see how rotten to the core the it really is. They can help us, Kurome. They can help you..."

"H-help us? How?"

"Come with me, sis. Come with me and join the Revolution Army. I know you'll have to leave your team, but together, we can put an end to their tyranny."

"Leave my friends?"

"I know it's hard to stomach this in, but we have a chance to fight back and bring justice to those kids who were raised to become slaves for the Empire. A chance to free them, and free ourselves."

"I don't get it. Why would you want to take us to join a gang of criminals if you want to help me?"

"They're not criminals, Kurome. As I said, it's lead by people who get it, who've seen the Empire's leadership for the self-serving monsters they truly are."

"No! No, I don't want to be a fugitive! You can't do this, Akame! You're going to get us both killed!"

"I told you before, little sis: As long as I draw breath, I will always keep you safe!"

"Please, Akame! I don't want to kill my team! They're my friends and they are planning to help other people lives!"

"I hope it won't have to come to that either. But you're being lied to. When was the last time they stopped one of their rich associates from taking innocent people lives and used them as caddle? When did they stop other assassins from killing those who try to help other people? Have they ever told us the truth of the true purpose behind our missions?"

"There are not lies, Akame! My team leader Eli said that the Empire is secretly forming a renovation! A change for the capital!"

"Kurome, do honestly expect anyone to believe that such people who made their livelihoods by profiting off the suffering of others are just going to give that up so easily in the name of reform?"

"Well… I think that… Akame, I-"

"If it's true, how come they never told every one of us about the change?"

"Eli said it would be too risky to tell us in camp for now."

"I don't believe it."

"Akame..."

Akame then slapped Kurome's cheek. There was a moment of absolute silence after the sound of the smack. Kurome was stunned, Akame glared at her.

"I'm not going to ask again, little sister." She said sternly. "Come with me..."

Kurome was frightened, unsure of what to say, scared at the thought that she'll have to live a life on the run and killing good people she's worked with for a long time.

Without time to think, Kurome ran away from her and dashed out of the church. As she ran, the grayish woods and the path started to turn blurry, and then into a smoky haze.

The gray atmosphere turned blazing red and the entire smoke revealed the burning cabin she remembers.

All of her teammates were down on the ground, puddles of blood surrounding them and the cabin was being searched by Imperial guards, looking for any survivors. "Look! Over there!" One guard shouted as she pointed at Kurome.

As soon as he finished, every guard turned into a ghastly demonic shadow with red eyes, charging after her with echoing loud roars.

Kurome awakened with a scream. Despite her body feeling healthy with no pain, she felt chills down her spine and arms. The sun was shining and it looked like there were still no dangerbeasts in sight.

Now there are no more combat drugs in her bag, she knows that it's only a matter of time before her body will feel immense pain and there's no easy solution to get more of the drugs from the Empire without getting caught.

"I got to do something..." She cried to herself. "But I don't know what to do now..."


	3. Chapter 2: Kill The Insurrection

Snow and wind fell upon the already frozen North like a hail of arrows falling upon a mass of enemies. Despite being apart of the Empire from the very beginning over a millennia ago, the North was still very much a frontier that was little explored by its southern overlords. Apart from a few scattered forts that garrisoned no more than a few hundred men for 12-month rotations, the Empire had very little presence in the North.

On a map, it was a massive, frozen tundra spanning thousands of leagues covered in snow all year-round. Parts of the north experienced no sun at all during certain parts of the year, but sunlight was still very finite for the rest of the land. Its vastness and its harsh environment left the north sparsely populated.

Although the Empire kept no official census on the North's population, its population was estimated to be just short of 200,000 people. Most of the people in the North lived among scattered clans and tribes that numbered in the hundreds if not thousands.

With the harsh weather that was ongoing, the whole Northern capital of God's Frost was on alert. However, God's Frost was less of a city and more of a series of stone structures and dwellings with many of them wedged between mountains and plateau sides. Everyone had spent their day preparing for an imminent invasion by their foes, the Imperial Army. Everyone was to do their part, including one deformed six year old boy named Percii.

From the ancient temple's watchtower he observed all kinds of people; men, women, children, old, and young assemble barricades that were to be sent to the defensive lines at the outskirts of God's Frost. The North's Crown Prince, and "Hero of the North", Numa Seika had declared the temple to be his new home, and God's Frost, the capital of the North. The barricades were nothing too advanced, just logs carved into spikes and fastened together.

Percii felt relieved this was not to be his task due to his deformities, but instead, he was to now serve the whims of his new master, the Crown Prince himself, a person who would never be a hero to him, but instead was responsible for the death of the one hero he had, his father. But now with an even more vicious foe approaching, Percii was left no choice but to rally behind the man who was responsible for his father's death, a choice he disliked, but accepted with grace.

Several months ago, Percii was the son of Ernno, Chief of the temple guards who served the North's previous overlord, the Provincial Governor of The North, Niilo Tesak. That all changed after Niilo was declared a puppet of the Empire and allowed bureaucrats from the south to come and mine for silver and diamonds when reserves were found in the North. Numa and his clan raised their flag in rebellion, quickly subjugating most of the other clans and tribes in unprecedented speed and then marched on God's Frost. After taking the God's Frost, he had the Tesaks executed along with their soldiers and servants, but Percii was a spoil to him.

After observing the barricades being erected for sometime, Percii shifted his gaze to the mountains overlooking the ancient city. Although it was getting dark out with already low-visibility, he swore he could see the approaching Imperial Army making their way through the passes with some trying to set up position. The thought of God's Frost being the sight of yet another battle so soon filled him with dread. Percii then made his way back down the tower's winding stairwell, preferring to play in his room to pass time.

Percii stood just under four feet tall at 45 inches tall, he could possibly be taller, but was afflicted with poor posture in addition to his deformities. His feet were webbed, on his right hand he only had four fingers which he was born with. There was a large, patchy port-wine birthmark above his left eye that also contained a few mole-sized lumps making the left side of his forehead, making it appear rugged. The birthmark also extended to his eye-socket region making it look like he had a black-eye. Percii also had a tiny, but noticeable cleft-lip and a snubbed nose. Apart from his deformities, Percii had messy, and dark-green poofy hair of medium length and snake-like eyes that were yellow in color. Beneath his eyes, he had a significant collection of small freckles. Percii was also thin and frail.

His deformities lead to ill-treatment by others, even before God's Frost fell into the hands of Prince Numa. The only people who seemed to treat him with some degree of tolerance was the High Priest and his father, Ernno, Chief of the Temple Guards, both of whom were killed when the Seika Clan and their allies took God's Frost.

As for Percii's attire, he wore a ragged dark green zhiduo that matched his hair while the zhidou's borders were yellow to match his eyes. Despite the cold weather, he had getas for footwear.

Upon returning to his room, Percii got down on his knees by his bedside and began to pray.

 _Gods, if you can hear me, please let this nightmare be over! Killers have taken over the North! And killers from the south have come to invade our lands, to kill us because of the killers! The North's only city built thousands of years ago is under attack by the Empire. May we prevail, but if not please just let me live! Let the other innocent people live! I wanted no part in Prince Numa's rebellion, but I hope he defeats the enemy, but when it's over I hope you or someone you send will dethrone him and rule us justly!_

As Percii prayed, the door to his room flew open. An older man with a beard, and short curly white hair came inside. He also had a scar running down the right side of his face. His eyes were a scaly green color. Except for his head, he was covered in studded leather armor, over his shoulders, he used a cave-bear pelt as a cape. The man was Rattias, Prince Numa's second-in-command.

"There you are, you little freak!" He said, viciously raising his voice. "Less praying, more helping!" Rattias added.

"But- I thought praying is helping, sir-"

Rattias then smacked Percii hard on his deformed side. Percii fell to the floor and tears began to form in his eyes.

"Listen boy, around here, only I, Crown-Prince Numa and pretty much everyone here who isn't you decides what constitutes as 'help', and right now, the Prince's dinner is about to be served!" berated Rattias.

"Yes, sir..." whimpered Percii.

"Come on then, let's get to it. You're lucky I merely smacked you, instead of giving you the lash as per usual." Rattias affirmed.

Percii then got up off the floor and followed Rattias down to the main hall which was since turned into Prince Numa's throne room. It was true, ever since falling into Prince Numa's service, Rattias found an excuse to whip Percii at least once a week. The lashes hurt, and Percii would cry every time. The most recent time, Rattias lashed Percii for merely not cutting cheese into perfect squares. As they walked, Rattias still went on.

"If you were to waste your time praying, at least tell me it was for our victory, not that we'd need it anyway. We Northerners are strong. That's why they think they can defeat us by sending an army lead by some big-breasted bitch with ice powers who was a Northerner, once."

Percii knew whom Rattias spoke of. While performing tasks, Percii would often have to do work where the Prince and his men set up their command, and he would overhear the tales of the horrible general the Empire sent to put down Numa's rebellion, General Esdeath. She was the sole survivor of a northern clan, the Partas clan, one of the North's smallest, but fiercest clans who were massacred by unknown assailants 10 years ago. She since moved to the south to the Capital, and became the Empire's most powerful fighter, supposedly drinking demon's blood and gaining the power to conjure and manipulate ice.

"She may be powerful, but no one is more powerful than Prince Numa! And despite their fancy uniforms and training, one Northern man can take five, no... ten Imperial lapdogs in close combat. They've got no chance!", Rattias further boasted.

Percii reluctantly hoped so, he also heard General Esdeath was very cruel. Rumors had it she delighted in slaughtering whole bands of enemies with her ice powers with even minimal effort. Esdeath and her men were known to quickly and efficiently dispatch their enemies with ease, leading her to a reputation of mercilessness.

"What about in personal combat? Can Prince Numa, Hero of The North defeat General Esdeath then?", asked Percii.

Rattias snorted, "Pah! You're as dumb as you are hideous, you know that Percii?! Prince Numa has never been defeated in close combat, and if it weren't for her powers from the demon's blood, there would be no contest! Hopefully this 'ice queen' lives up to her reputation. When Prince Numa defeats her, he should spare her, then she should become his bride, the prince will need heirs after all. Gods have mercy on us all if the Prince dies and his useless brother succeeds him."

Percii knew whom Rattias referred to, Numa's younger brother, Kuma. While Kuma was kept at court, Prince Numa was favored by their father growing up while Kuma was neglected. While Kuma had basic combat skills, he seemed a little to shell-shocked to be useful on the field, even as a mere foot-soldier.

As for Prince Numa and brides, the Prince was still unwed. He claimed he would find a suitable primary bride when the war was over and then take any and all women who wanted him for secondary wives.

Percii was then taken to the temple's main hall. It was a wide space with plenty of torches on the walls, and dozens to tables filled with weapons and armor, but in the middle of the room, a long table was assembled for the Prince and his dinner guests to dine at. Prince Numa sat at the end that reached further into the temple, to his right, sat his brother, and to his left would sit Rattias. The rest of the table would be filled with the leaders of the most powerful clans that were loyal to him who also served as his battlefield commanders. Unlike the Imperial Army or any other professional army for that matter, the North's "army" had no formal hierarchy or structure. Each clan leader or tribal chief had command of their own clan or tribes' fighting men, but the clan leaders and chiefs answered directly to Prince Numa who also commanded his own men.

Once in the throne room, Percii knew what to do. He immediately went over to one of the tables and grab two pitchers. One filled with wine, the other with water and headed for the table, first serving the Prince himself with wine.

"Thank you, Percii." said Prince Numa.

"Bless you, Master..." Percii responded.

The Prince sat dressed ready for battle. His hair was long, black and flowing, his eyes were small and bluish-gray, his face cleanly shaven with not even the slightest hint of stubble. The Prince wore shiny gray armor with arching shoulder-pads and came down to his breast area, just above his abs. His gauntlets and leg armor matched the design of his chest piece. At his waist, he had four armored flaps secured by a belt that protected his groin, the sides of his legs, and his buttocks. Beneath his armor, the prince wore a high-collared dark purple suit with yellow borders. He also wore a long purple cape that was a significantly lighter shade of purple than his suit. Finally, on his head, he wore a metal headpiece that served as his crown that matched his armor and contained the symbol of the Seika clan. The prince was 6'1.

Percii then offered some wine to Kuma, who merely looked down on the table, clearly filled with anxiety.

"Just water for him, Percii." Prince Numa instructed.

"Yes, master." answered Percii. He then proceeded to poor water into Kuma's cup.

Kuma looked very similar to his older brother, only his hair was short and coconut-shaped, and his eyes were much bluer. Kuma was also shorter than Numa, standing at 5'8. He was dressed in a kimono that matched the colors to Numa's suit. Numa also donned a copper head-piece similar to his brothers, but his was also smaller. Kuma said nothing after Percii poured him his water.

Percii then went down the table serving either water or wine to the different clan leaders. After all had been seated and the other servants came to serve them their meal, it did not take long for Prince Numa to begin talking. Before doing so, he rose and leaned over the table to address his dinner guests. It was no mystery to what they would be discussing.

"My lords, proud gentlemen and subjects… we are on the eve of what is to be our most important and decisive victory! The Empire in their desperation has sent their most powerful general, General Esdeath and some fifty to one hundred thousand Imperial soldiers to slaughter us all and re-subjugate the North. Nevertheless, I am confident we will prevail, and once we overcome the best they have, they won't dare send another army to conquer us. Our independence will be secure. It is estimated the battle will be on in less than 24 hours. Despite my confidence, we are not to underestimate this foe. Tell me, have we each done our own individual parts to assure our victory?" Prince Numa opened.

One the clan leaders rose. He donned a dark-blue cape and was covered in danger-beast bones which he used as his armor, even using the danger-beast's skull as a head-piece.

"Aye, my Prince. We've all done our parts!" he boasted. The rest of them yelled "aye" and banged their cups and chalices on the table.

The Prince then looked around the table, taking his time to look at all of the men he gathered.

"I see... it has been claimed all our parts were played, yet my plans to ensure we weren't even in this situation in the first place have failed. How can you assure me failure won't happen this time?" The Prince pressed sneeringly.

The room grew quiet. The mood changed from enthusiastic to unease within seconds. The Prince then got up and started to walk around the table. He then stopped at another one of the clan leaders. A man with long blond hair and a blond beard. He wore bronze armor and polar bear pelts.

"Olaf… your clan, the Hirvonen clan specializes in using avalanches to destroy your enemies, so why did this fail to destroy Esdeath's Army 10 days ago near Snowstone pass?" The Prince asked in a confrontational tone.

The clan patriarch was caught off-guard, nearly at a loss for words.

"My Prince, they must have somehow scouted ahead, but we still managed to kill at least 15,000 of them!", Olaf said defending himself.

"A dent at the most." rebuffed the Prince. He then walked a few lords down to an older man who was bald, had a mustache dressed in green robes, wearing pelts and a thick leather chest-piece. "And speaking of scouts, the Rebane clan prides itself of having the stealthiest in the North, so why they were caught and killed as they were made off?"

The old man, patriarch Biethar faced him nervously. "M-my prince, the Ice Queen, she brought one of those flying danger-beasts with her, their eyes... they're sharper than an eagle's, we-we could not have anticipated that! It spotted them and killed them, it must have been!"

Prince Numa merely _pfft_ , unconvinced by the answer. Before moving on to the last person he sought to scold, Simit. Simit was the youngest Clan leader at the table after Prince Numa. While most of the men were forty or older, Simit was 32. Simit has silver hair, a long blue cloak, a leather bodysuit and steel mesh for armor.

"Simit, your men were tasked with detonating explosives to seal-off the shortcut to God's Frost, and make the Imperials take extra time to get here so we could buy more time, and perhaps lower their morale and manpower, and yet that's still the path she's taking, why?!"

Unlike Olaf and Biethar, Simit stood tall and confident before the frustrated Prince.

"Because my Prince, it was as I forewarned: Esdeath merely used her ice powers to smash her way through the rocks, ice, and snow. It was as useful as a paper wall", He answered calmly and confidently.

Prince Numa really didn't like that answer. However, it made sense. He made an error in strategy. Simit did as he was ordered, but it was the Prince's plan that failed, not the man he set out to accomplish it. The Prince frowned and made his way around the table and back to his seat. Before sitting down he leaned across the table and looked at all of them.

"Very well, for this and other failures, I have ordered my reserve garrison in the Seika homelands to seize your respective territories and confiscate your assets." He announced.

The three scolded men and a few others raised up in protest, hollering at the Prince for the perceived unfairness in this punishment. Prince Numa merely let them bark for about 10 seconds before hand waving them into silence.

"But... with your help I do intend to return everything to you in full. You and your men will serve on the frontline. If we triumph and you still live, then when the battle is over, the land and assets will be returned. You have my personal guarantee, as your Crown-Prince of the North. Can I count on your cooperation?" Prince Numa proclaimed.

"Aye!" The men who protested yelled.

"Can I count on all of your help?!" Prince Numa boldly asked to everyone this time.

"Aye!"

"Very good! I hope to sup with you all again tomorrow night, with a new bride at my side, Imperial steel in our hands, and the skulls of our enemies to toast our victory with!" Prince Numa proclaimed.

The room then filled with cheers, hoots, and the banging of fists on the table in excitement. The environment was one Percii was not that well accustomed with. While meals were held at temple even prior to Numa making it his makeshift palace, there was nothing like a bunch of clan leaders eating feasts while loudly boasting about the victory that hadn't even won yet.

Percii spent the rest of the night serving drinks and various dishes to the Prince and his dinner guests. After the meal, he and the other servants cleaned the very dishes they helped serve. After spending hours serving and cleaning, Numa permitted Percii to go to bed. Despite going to bed early, Percii could hardly sleep. So much fear and anxiety kept swallowing him. The big fear of course, not knowing what his situation would be like 24 hours from now, would Numa triumph and remain in his service for the rest of his life, or would something worse happen? Would the feared Ice Queen come and mercilessly butcher him as well? Maybe if he was lucky and Numa failed, Esdeath would spare him and keep him as her new slave. Perhaps being Esdeath's slave was worse hearing how brutal she was. Either way, no matter who won the battle tomorrow, nothing good would come for Percii.

The morning came and Percii went straight to work. There would be a brunch and then additional small meals were prepared for the men defending God's Frost. The Empire was expected to reach the place shortly before nightfall. The brunch made was nothing too special, the special meal was to be made when the battle had been won. The brunch served were corn cakes, eggs, and ham which was served around midday.

Immediately after serving brunch, Percii was then granted permission to a plate of leftovers, to which he consumed rather quickly, himself being half-starved. Percii's only food for breakfast was a small apple and a cup of water. After his lunch break, he was quickly re-assigned to loading up the carts with weapons to be brought to the front-line. This task lasted several hours before being tasked with filling up canteens with water and horns with ale. This task was also on the time-consuming side, and by the time he and the other "servants" completed this task, nightfall was beginning to set in.

As the sun was beginning to fall under the clouds with snow still bristling in the wind, bells began to ring ominously across God's Frost. The Imperial Army had come... guards were escorting people to shelter and instructing people to hide in their homes. Instead, Percii who was instructed to return to the temple made his way further through the settlement closer to the edge of God's Frost where the battle would be taking place. He knew no one at the temple would bother to check if he was there. He waited by a bell-tower and waited for the bell to stop ringing and its bell-ringer to leave. It didn't take long for that to happen, so Percii made his way up the tower. From there, he gained a good view of the battle.

While peering out, he could see the dozens of rows of the spiked, wooden barricades and trenches were the men had been dug in. Behind the rows were a few makeshift siege weapons, mostly catapults. Finally, behind the siege equipment were the additional tens of thousands of men from countless differents clans and tribes ready to defend God's Frost against the Imperial Army lead by General Esdeath. To Percii, as much as he was in awe to behold the battlefield, he was also in fear, which he was trying not to let overcome him.

As the Imperial Army approached, he saw Prince Numa riding atop an armored mammoth making his way through the men giving his inspirational speech before the battle was to begin.

"Brothers! Our finest hour is upon us! The invaders have sent their best to try to make us bend the knee to their child-Emperor thousands of leagues away from here, to try and take our freedom away! They fear an independent North, now that I deposed their the lapdog Tesaks who gave their elites mining rights without even the slightest morsel of that wealth being given back to us, the people!" The Prince opened.

The Northerners who assembled to fight then began to boo, but the Prince went on. "Those dogs thought they can try to buy me off with their wealth after I put their puppets to the sword, but I gave them a simple message: I'm not a weakling or coward, they can keep their wealth, we just want the North and everything in it that is rightfully ours!"

The men then cheered to that.

"Now the Empire thinks if they can't buy us off, that'll they break us until they get what they want. Is that going to happen?!" Prince Numa asked.

 _NO!_

The prince then unsheathed his distinctive spear. "No it won't! Now fight with me, and we'll break that bitch and her army, and send their broken limbs back to the Capital!"

The men then raised their weapons and roared out with applause, cheering the Prince's speech. It was clear that despite facing a foe with a stronger leader, better weapons, better equipment, and better training, the Northerner's strength and spirits alone would win the battle for them. Prince Numa continued to ride his way to the front lines.

As Percii looked on, he noticed something moving in this sky, causing him to gasp in minor panic. In the sky above the battlefield, flew a large, winged danger-beast. And a top it, she road, the Ice Queen. He could not get a good look at her, seeing nothing but long waving hair and a white uniform. She then flew over her advancing Imperial troops almost racing towards the front of the lines of Prince Numa's men, but she then had the beast fly upward, with Numa's men aiming their weapons at the beast and at her. Prince Numa himself motioned for them to hold. It appeared she was going to address the men herself. Percii thought this odd, shouldn't she be rallying her own men?

"Prince Numa Seika! You are guilty of treason and insurrection against the Empire! Order your men to lay down their weapons and turn yourself in! If you fail to surrender now, I will have my men take God's Frost through force! This is your one and only chance!" General Esdeath yelled from a top her beast.

Percii was a bit dumbfounded that Esdeath gave Prince Numa the chance to give up. Wasn't she a ruthless killer who relished in slaughtering her much weaker foes? Perhaps she was ordered to try and take him alive without a battle first.

From Prince Numa's position, he could not get even get a good view of her. Nevertheless, he would reject this chance of surrender.

"You think you can intimidate us into backing down, for a Northern girl, you seem to have forgot what it is all about. Never! You and your men have this once chance to turn back now, or you'll never leave the North alive!" the Prince retorted.

"We'll turn back. But not without you. You're coming with us, dead or alive!" answered Esdeath.

"Strike her down!"

A volley of arrows filled the air aiming right for General Esdeath and her flying danger beast. The attack was no good, as the arrows approached, a wall of ice formed blocking the arrows clean from hitting the beast, who flew off after the arrows fell to the ground. The General backflipped off the beast which was still several stories from the ground. As she descended gracefully towards the ground, a white-blue ball formed around her hands as she put clasped them together. From the energy ball forming in her hands, several sharp icicles formed and were fired into the ranks of the defenders. She then landed directly in the snow several hundred yards away from the first defensive line while her own army was still about 100 yards behind her. Her volley of icicles were slightly more effective than the initial arrow attack directly at her. While most of them landed in the snow or were absorbed by the spiked wooden barricades, several dozen if not several hundred defenders were hit and killed while many more were wounded.

When she landed, she then knelt on one knee in the snow and spread the fingers on her right hand far apart and pressed it to the ground. As the Imperial Army moved closer to her, Numa's men readied for a second attack. Esdeath and the ground around her began glow and flash like frosted lightning. It then began to scatter into a formation. Percii wondered what she was doing, but felt whatever it was, it would not be good for the defenders seeing how easily she evaded their first attack and defied all wisdom by appearing before them out in the open. The ground struck by Esdeath appeared to rumble and reform. What came next had Percii disbelieving his own eyes.

The area struck by the frost lightning that flowed from Esdeath seemed to reform and erect itself. Then the ground rose countless amounts of soldiers made of ice emerged, ready for combat. They had blades, helmets, shields and everything, except everything was entirely made of ice. Percii then got a bad feeling about what was about to happen. From the tower he could see that the men were stunned at the sight and were becoming more hesitant to fire again, but fire they did. Predictably, the arrows had no more effect on the ice soldiers than it did on the ice wall. The ice men then began to march forward. As the ice men approached nearer and nearer, Numa's men appeared even more visibly nervous as volley after volley of arrows rendered the same useless result. Some of the archers began light their arrows with flame, but even this did not help in the slightest.

It did not take long for the ice soldiers to approach the first barricades, smashing through them with ease, and soon they were in the trenches butchering the men there. From that one sight alone Percii had a sinking feeling as fear began to rise that this battle had already been decided. As the ice men Esdeath summoned started to increase the speed of their advance, Prince Numa then ordered his catapults to fire directly at the ice men. The catapults were more effective with the heavy rocks being able to smash the the ice men and break several of them, however, it would take some time to reload the catapults and fire again. The first volley from what Percii could count, destroyed ten of them outright, and damaged an additional 2 dozen although these things would continue to fight until they were destroyed.

Percii only looked on nervously as the ice men continued to fight and Esdeath and her men began to follow in behind them, ready to press the fight themselves once the ice men were destroyed. By that time, who knew how many of God's Frosts' defenders would be slain and would the remaining men even be enough to match the Imperial Army nevermind out-number them. It had been no more than a few minutes and the ice men had slain several hundred clansmen and tribesmen while only a few of them were destroyed or damaged. The men in the forward defensive lines were unequipped to deal with them and the catapults took too long to reload.

In an attempt to try to even out the casualties, Prince Numa ordered the Bödel and Thorson clans to the frontlines. These were clans who specialized in fighting with warhammers and two-handed battle axes. By the time they reached the ice men, they had already cleared through more than half of the defensive lines while Esdeath's army had reached the first line which was littered with hundreds if not thousands of corpses of dead men slain by the ice men. As they advanced, Esdeath's men began to "double-tap" any potential survivors by impaling the bodies in vital areas to ensure they were truly dead.

With that sight, fear began to build up even more within Percii as his eyes began to deepen within his head. He saw visions of himself lying wounded on the street, struggling to get up and survive only for Esdeath to come before him and impale him to ensure that he was dead. A frozen tear then fell from his eye. Anxiety began to grow, and all Percii did was look on. The dread began to take its toll on him, time it seemed kept fading in and out.

His senses returned when he saw the Bödels and Thorsons, who were down to their last men, break the last of the ice-men, but by then, the ice-men had cut down most of their forces, and still advanced beyond the defensive lines, they were now out the outskirts of God's Frost. The Prince then ordered a fall back into the city believing it would be easier to hold them off from inside the city than what was left of the open field before them. Most of the men fled with him, but a few others sought to buy them time by facing the Imperial Army.

The last of the Bödels and Thorsons were among them, but Percii could see they were bloodied and tired. Still they, pressed on, but then she came. The General clad in white dashed before them and swiftly cut them down with her rapier with an elegant grace Percii had never seen before. The sight was amazing in its own twisted way, but terrifying as nothing but blackness covered the General's face above her nose and beady, glowing red eyes steamed as she fought. Surrounding her was a glowing purple and black aura. She cut down twenty men as if they were nothing. Her men lead by a vanguard of pikemen dispatched the last of the defenders as Esdeath, the beast she flew in on, and three individuals dressed in black rushed in and destroyed the catapults that were used to break her ice men and inflict some minor casualties on her own men.

Once the pikemen finished off the men sent to buy time for Prince Numa and his remaining forces to take position within the city were defeated, Percii looked to see that Numa and his men were still not prepared, but a few remaining archers were trying to take up position in some of the buildings and fire from the windows, but the Imperial Army brought their own archers and fired at them on sight.

From the streets, Numa's pikemen and spearmen formed a defensive line as archers tried to move up and fire from behind them, but it seemed the General had another nasty trick up her sleeve. She began to glow white and blue again and she stretched her arms out pointing at the Northmen. From behind her, giant icicles began to erect. Once risen, she began to launch them at the Northmen and impale multiple of them at once with a single large icicle.

To Percii's horror, these attacks started to cause a mass panic in the ranks and some began to drop their weapons and flee. For the battle was truly lost now. He cupped his deformed hand around his mouth and two tears ran down his face.

"Oh no!" he gasped. "I gotta get out of here!" he said panicking. Percii then began climb down the tower ladder. There was no place safe in the city, but the one place that may stand now was temple at the center of the city. If the gods were real and they were just, they would not allow the Imperial Army to breach its doors and slaughter the people inside, though that didn't stop Numa from taking it, but by then, the Tesaks weren't using it as a residence so he didn't need to take it by force.

Percii got onto the street, people were running all over the place as he began to pant as he ran. The coldness in the air allowed him to see his breath. Never before in his life did he ever have to run like this, but the faster he ran, the slower it seemed to feel. People were yelling and running in panic as he ran and he still heard the sounds of battle.

While he ran in between the streets making his way to the temple, he saw Prince Numa furiously ordering his men to stand and fight.

"Stand and fight you worthless cowards! Stand and fight!", berated Numa. The prince then turned around and began to desperately swing his spear around like a maniac. "Come here, Esdeath! Fight me! You cannot defeat me! I am the Crown Prince of the North!", he yelled.

But as he yelled, one of the large icicles struck the building before him from above causing a chunk of it to fall, Numa looked up and yelled, but the chunks fell directly on top of him and his mammoth. The blow hurt the mammoth causing it to wail in pain and dislodged the Prince from its back. Whether he was dead or unconscious, Percii did not know, but all he saw was the prince laying on the ground with a gash bleeding from his forehead. His head-piece lay broken with him.

"The Prince! He has fallen!", Percii heard someone yell.

At that moment, panic and hysteria imploded all over the immediate area, people were screaming, running, praying, panicking as more people including many of the defenders turned to run to where Percii was headed: The temple. This caused a new fear within him, there was no way all those people could fit in there, and those who didn't were certainly doomed to die. He had to get there as quickly as he could.

Nevertheless, as he ran, he still stopped to try to get the Prince back on his feet. Percii placed his small, frail hands on the Prince's sturdy breastplate, shaking and pressing on it.

"Prince Numa! You have to get up!" he urged. Percii then looked around to see the sights, fires were now burning as people were running and men tried to fight the Imperial soldiers, only to be slain rather easily. He then turned back to the Prince. "Please, master! We need you!"

Percii's pleading truly fell on deaf ears. Blood continued to flow from Prince Numa's head and his eyes still remained shut. Percii then looked behind him to see from the mist an ominous sight. Imperial soldiers were easily cutting down the remaining defenders who still had the guts to stand up to them, but from the mist he saw her emerge, taking a near shadow-like form with the same evil-looking red eyes and horrible black-purple aura as before walking normally like there wasn't even a battle around her. As she walked, she merely dispatched anyone who tried to strike at her with a few flashes from her rapier. The sight was uncanny, and to make things worse, she was walking in Percii's general direction. The boy gasped, abandoning his Prince and master for the one last hope he had, the temple.

The temple was not very far away and did not take him long to arrive at the there, but there was still many people trying to get in, and Rattias and his men were present, quickly escorting people inside. As the last of the civilians were in, one of Rattias' men looked outward.

"She comes!" the man yelled.

"In there! Hurry!" Rattias answered, he then waited for his men to get into the temple for he entered himself. Percii was finally within reach of Rattias and a few feet from the temple entrance. A brief glimmer of hope grew within him, but Rattias was appearing to pay him no heed. Percii then reached out and shook Rattia's cloak.

"Rattias, wait for me!" Percii yelled, pleading.

Rattias then turned around. The clan leader looked bamboozled to see him alive. Nevertheless, he aggressively grabbed Percii by the neck, nearly choking him. Percii was taken off-guard by that and struggled to breath.

"No! Never! Why you little misshapen miscreation! This is _your_ fault! You're cursed, and it brought us ruination. You're a little monster, and you'll be left for the monsters!" Rattias shouted at Percii with sadism and scorn. He then tightened his grip and threw Percii to the cold, hard ground. Percii yelled in pain and in dismay as he was thrown. Rattias then turned around and slammed the temple doors behind him.

Percii rolled over trying to get up, but the throw hurt his leg too much. He then tried crawl his way over to the doors. He looked around to see the streets now empty as fires still burned and mist began to fill the streets. Not a living soul was to be seen and the streets of God's Frost grew eerily silent.

"No! Please! Let me in!" Percii yelled starting to weep. "I don't want to die!"

Percii's begging and weeping once again fell on deaf ears. Even if the doors to the temple were thin enough to allow sound to pass through, no one would let him in. For some reason, one he could not understand, the people here thought of him to be just as monstrous as General Esdeath. Why? She is here to kill them all in cold blood, while Percii never killed anything, not even the tiniest of insects that could even be found in the North.

Percii turned back around the snow-ridden mist and fog was growing closer, and the place grew more quiet. He could not even hear the wind, only the sound of his own heart beating and the sound of his breath. He kept looking in sheer panic for anyone, whether it be a savior or killer. It seemed so surreal what he was experiencing. But after some looking there it was again, the horror he wanted to see last.

Far in the frosted fog, a black shape approached. It was in the shape a tall, slender, voluptuous human female. Once again, the thing that stood out the most were the beady red, glowing eyes with visible trails, and black-purple aura.

Percii's eyes deepened and teared.

"Oh no..." He whimpered. Percii then tried to crawl towards the temple more despite how hopeless the endeavor was. As he crawled, the sounds of heels clacking on the ground grew louder with each approaching step, like thunder after a lightning strike. And soon, the sound was right behind him. Percii's eyes sank and turned around to look up. There she was, standing over him looking down at him.

She wore a General's outfit as expected, complete with long white heels on her feet that also served as tights that came up just above her knees leaving her mid thighs exposed. There were black flaps at the top of these leg coverings. She wore a mini-battle skirt that covered down to her upper thighs. Her skirt was white and covered in black buttons. Her sleeves were also black, with buttons on the outer arms. At her waist, Esdeath wore a black belt with a black cross with silver trimming at the center. Just above her breasts, there was a dark red triskelion with two dashes in between the two triskelion lines bordering the middle one. One might mistake this for a tattoo, but this was no mere tattoo, it seemed far too sinister. Around her neck, she wore a scarf that tailed off into a pair of large folds at each of her sides. Finally, on her head she wore a General's hat. It was all white save for the black fold and black cross at the center.

Esdeath's skin was porcelain white and she stood tall and slender, just a few inches shorter than the Prince. She neared the perfect hourglass shape to her physique. Esdeath was noticeably well-endowed, with a large pair of breasts that were beyond fully developed. Her arms and legs were long, and elegant, with hair light blue and long, coming down to the back of her knees. Her nose was Greek, her chin narrow and her face was round like the sun. She also had prominent cheekbones. Esdeath was as beautiful as she was terrifying. But all Percii could focus on were those shadows and red, glowing eyes. She then lifted her rapier.

"Please! Please don't kill me, I don't want to die! I hate Prince Numa! He killed my daddy and made me his slave! Please, let me live, I'll be your slave if you want, just don't kill me, please..." Percii begged while weeping.

The General then knelt down looking at him square in eyes. More tears began to roll down Percii's cheeks, now red from cold, but she was just looking at him, possibly observing him.

"No..." Esdeath said rather codly. "I'm not going to kill you, nor enslave you." she added.

Percii then became confused, he then looked at her warily.

"Then... then, what do you want from me?" Percii asked her, still whimpering in fear.

"Nothing." The General replied. "I'm going to help you." she said.

Percii became even more confused, but he stopped weeping.

"H-help me?" he asked.

As he looked at her, the blackness between her hair and nose disappeared, the glowing red eyes of death faded away with it, and the black-purple aura vanished. He then saw the normal, pretty eyes of the most beautiful woman he ever saw, icy blue to match her hair. A smile then formed on her face.

"That's right, it's all over. You're safe now." said Esdeath.

Percii was stunned, he knew not what to say, only sighing in relief and cry after that, but this time, he did not cry in fear. He cried in joy. Esdeath then reached over to pick the little boy up, hugging him tightly. Percii then sobbed into her right shoulder.

"What's your name?" She asked him in a friendly tone.

Percii stopped sobbing and then hesitated for a moment. "P-Percii…" he answered.

"It's alright now, Percii." She said comfortingly. After holding him for a few moments, her men began to arrive. They were preparing to breach the temple. Esdeath, still carrying Percii went up to the temple doors with her men behind her.

"We might need a battering ram." One of them commented. This one stood out, he was an older man dressed in all black. He looked like one of the three men dressed in black from earlier.

The General smirked at that comment. She then formed ice around her left foot and kicked forward causing the left door to the temple to fall backward. She stepped in with her men following behind her. After walking down the hall, they came to Prince Numa's throne room. There, a room full of huddle peopled backed off in fear as Rattias and his remaining men stepped forward their spears pointed at Esdeath and her men.

"The ice bitch dares to intrude on our holy temple! Drive her out!" ordered Rattias, not sensing the irony of that statement. His men tightened their respective grips on their spears and approached slowly, but by the look in their eyes, it was obvious they were not willing to fight.

"In the name of the Empire, I am ordering you all to stand down. Prince Numa has been captured and what's left of his army has been routed, his rebellion and reign over the North is over! Lay down your weapons and you won't be hurt", Esdeath commanded assertively.

"Don't listen to that slattern! We must rescue the Prince!" Rattias shouted.

Esdeath then let out a sigh. She reached out one hand in Rattias' direction. Frost swirled around it, then there was a flash of white. Suddenly, all of Rattias' men had their hands and feet frozen together. They all began to panic, shout, and struggle, but there was nothing they could do. She walked forward with her men flanking her and she walked to confront Rattias. Rattias braced himself with a warhammer. Esdeath stopped several feet before him, she just stood glaring at him with anger burning in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Esdeath demanded.

"Rattias, patriarch of Einarfin clan", Rattias answered with a hint of pride.

"Was it you who left this boy outside to die?" Esdeath asked with clear disgust.

"Nay, I left that _monster_ outside to die. For he is cursed, and it cost us our victory!" Answered Rattias with no sense of remorse.

Percii teared up again, hearing that. Out of all the things that hurt him, being called a monster hurt the most.

"He's just a little boy, how is he a monster?" Esdeath asked.

"They say the prettier the girl is, the stupider she is, I can see that now, just look at him!" Rattias retorted. Some of the people huddling on the ground shouted in agreement with him.

Esdeath tilted Percii around in her arms, holding the back of his head in her right arm to gain a good look at his face. It was true he would never be a handsome man the ladies and girls would fawn over because of looks, and for that she pitied him. However, Percii's looks were no excuse to mistreat him like that.

"I see nothing more than a helpless young boy. He might not have been fortunate enough to be born looking like you or me, but that's not his fault. His looks don't make him a monster any more or less than yours or mine do." Esdeath said to Rattias in a scornful tone.

Percii then started to feel funny. He still felt horrible at Rattias' words, but felt uplifted yet baffled by Esdeath's words. While Percii's father and the temple priests were the only people who did not treat him in a mean matter, none of them spoke up in his defense like that either. Percii then looked at Esdeath, his eyes half-open and foggy. She stared back into them.

"Don't listen to them Percii, I'm sure you're a sweet boy." Esdeath told him.

Percii then took an audible breath that mixed confusion and happiness. But Esdeath's head moved closer to his, her eyes closing and her lips shifted and they met his lips, kissing him. Percii blushed as his eyes slightly widened. He then began to feel warm and happy. So surreal was the sensation he saw the bleak rooms fade to pink space that filled with stars and sparkles as Esdeath held him. Overcome with emotion, Percii never felt so comfortably ecstatic. For the first time in his life had anyone ever showed this much affection towards him. His father Ernno almost never hugged him, and stated only his mother only kissed him once, shortly after she birthed him where she died not long after. Despite these intense feelings he was suddenly feeling, he began to sob some more.

"The only monsters I see are the ones who would leave a poor, helpless child out to die because they are cowardly enough to scapegoat him rather than accept that they themselves are responsible for the failure of their ill-fated rebellion against the Empire. All children deserve love, kindness, and protection, from the cutest child to the not-as-cutest child. You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves treating a poor child so cruelly." Esdeath continued rather passionately. She then set Percii down on the ground. He then stood, slightly obscuring himself behind her skirts.

"Enough of this nonsense, woman!" Growled Rattias impatiently. He then raised the warhammer above his head. "This is for Prince Numa and the North!" he yelled rushing to bring the hammer down Esdeath's head.

But even before he could bring it down, there was a flash of steel and a splash of blood. Esdeath swiftly decapitated Rattias with her rapier, and his head and body fell to the floor with a thud. What little resistance to Esdeath and her men seizing the temple was just overcame. Esdeath then put her blade away and motioned for her men to advance.

"Secure the temple and question these people, I want any and all evidence of Numa and his subordinate's possible crimes to be uncovered. The Chief Prosecutor will finalize the indictments once we gather everything we can and return to the capital. I also want this main room cleared, we'll need a large area to treat the injured." ordered Esdeath.

Her men answered with "Yes, General," then got right to work. She then turned to the man dressed in black.

"I presume you can handle this, Liver?" she asked.

"Of course, General." the man answered.

Esdeath then turned to Percii. She knelt down to look into his face. "I know you said Numa killed your father, but do you have a family I can take you too?" Esdeath asked.

"No..." whimpered Percii.

Esdeath then gave a look of genuine sadness on her face. "Aw, poor child, why don't you come with me, and you can tell me everything?" Esdeath proposed holding out her hand.

Percii took Esdeath's hand with his deformed hand. Her hand felt pleasant, so soft and elegant, yet warm for some reason. He then looked up at her, wholly in awe of how beautiful and kind she was. He wanted nothing more than to go with her for the time being.

"Okay..." Percii said softly.

The General then took his hand and they walked off. They went to a large clay home several streets behind the Temple, this place was used as the Tesak's residence. The location was already secured by her men. Her men wondered why Numa did not move in here and instead moved into the temple, to which Esdeath explained it was common belief in many tribes and clans that to move into a man's home after killing him would bring dishonor and misfortune to that individual. This place would be Esdeath's place to reside until she was done here in a few day's time. Once she moved into what could be considered the "master bedroom", she had her cooks make soup for the two of them. They sat at a small table by the bed. They were joined by another one of Esdeath's black-clad subordinates, a young blond man named Nyau. Percii made himself comfortable by taking off his getas.

The bedroom was fairly large, about 400 square feet. Towards the back of the room there was a king-sized bed complete with modern blankets. On each side there was a night table. There was a large red carpet in the center, two large wardrobes and a desk lined up in the room as well. To one of its sides, there was bathroom with a large clay tub with embers underneath to keep it warm. There were was no modern plumbing in the North, and they still used chamber pots. Lighting the room was one large chandelier and a few mounted candles on the wall. There was also a large fireplace on the wall that lead to the bathroom.

"You said Numa killed your father, why and how?" Esdeath asked Percii as she personally fed him putting the spoonful of soup in his mouth.

Percii took a moment to compose himself, saddened by the memory. He then took a swallow the soup. After consuming the soup, he spoke up.

"My daddy, he was the Chief of the Temple Guards. When Numa took God's Frost, he had the Tesaks and all who served them killed. He then had my daddy chopped up and taken away." Percii answered starting to tear again.

Esdeath was horrified by the answer, but she also knew what he was talking about. She then gave him another spoonful of soup.

About a week ago while about to ascend the mountain pass that lead to God's Frost, Esdeath and her men found what was left of the Tesaks. Niilo, the Clan patriarch and provincial governor was found stripped naked, tied to a post and covered in ice along with his wife, two concubines, his three sons and one daughter, also stripped, tied, and frozen. Esdeath concluded they were executed by being stripped, doused in cold water and left to freeze death as their bodies showed no signs of being penetrated by blades or being subject to blunt force. Near the posts were they were left to die, the bloodied and hacked up bodies of people presumed to be other members of the Tesak Clan as well as the Clan's servants and soldiers were found. The grisly sight spelled out a message for General Esdeath and her men:

 _IMPERIALS! BE WARNED!_

The message was hard to read as by the time they discovered it, the snow left a good portion of the limbs covered, but Esdeath and her men knew what it said. They would also not be intimidated by such a gruesome display either. When found, Esdeath ordered her men to recover the bodies, for the Prime Minister and Grand Prosecutor demanded "evidence" of Numa's crimes.

"That's horrible!" commented Esdeath. "We found their bodies though. Possibly your father's too, we'll make sure he is given a proper burial", promised Esdeath.

"Thank you General… Y- you're nice and pretty..." Percii said beginning to smile. He then took another mouthful of soup.

Esdeath blushed at that.

"Aw, thank you Percii, I knew you were a sweet boy," Esdeath said. She then served him another spoon to which he took immediately.

Suddenly, a very large man dressed in black entered the room. He was definitely one of the men Percii first saw with Esdeath.

"General, Liver and the others found the Prince's brother stowed away in the temple, but he looks traumatized… What should we do with him?" The large man asked.

Esdeath then paused and thought for a second. "Detain him. Numa may be the only one currently wanted by the Empire, but it may be possible his brother was an accomplice in his insurrection. Hold him for now, question him when he is ready to speak." Answered Esdeath.

"You let Prince Numa live..." Percii noted.

Esdeath sighed. "I have orders to capture him alive and bring to the Capital so he can stand trial. But still, I can't believe we subdued him by one of my ice spikes bringing part of a building down on top of him. He's a decent strategist, but I admit I looked forward to seeing how he would fare against me in one and one combat." said Esdeath, giving a look that betrayed despite her kindness, she still enjoyed a good fight.

"The Prince's brother had nothing to do with this." said Percii, changing the subject.

Esdeath and her men then looked at him surprised that he spoke up.

"Prince Kuma didn't even fight, and everyone was mean to him, including Crown-Prince Numa." Percii added.

"Did Numa mistreat you like that man in the temple?" Asked Esdeath.

"Prince Numa was mean, called me names, and made me and others his slaves. When we displeased him he had us whipped and flogged. But that man, Rattias, he was the worst. He would lash me harder than the Prince, and in a extra mean way. He'd sometimes lift up my robe and whip my bum with an iron rod, repeatedly." Answered Percii. His eyes began to water being reminded of the cruelty he had to endure.

Esdeath became worried after hearing that answer. Flogging was a harsh punishment, one she unfortunately had to use on a few disobedient soldiers within her ranks from time to time, but on slaves and children? Unthinkable. She also saw how brutal flogging could be if the wounds were left untreated.

"When was the last time you were whipped?" Esdeath ask betraying a sense of worry in her voice.

"A few days ago..." He whimpered.

"Do you still feel the pain?" Esdeath asked.

"Yes..." he answered.

Esdeath then glared at the large man. "Daidara, in a box under the bed, I have antiseptic swabs and antibiotic ointments, grab them." she ordered firmly. Esdeath then looked back at Percii.

Daidara then walked over to the bed to fetch the box.

Esdeath then put her hands on Percii's shoulders looking at him in the eyes again. "Percii, we are going to check and treat your body for wounds, please stay relaxed, and don't panic, okay?" Esdeath said softly.

Percii sighed, mildly worried. "Okay..." he let out.

Esdeath nodded at Nyau. The two led Percii to the front of the bed rest. Nyau then stood behind him as Esdeath went to stand before him. Esdeath untied the zhiduo's belt rope, and the two of them pulled off the robe and it fell to the floor. Nyau then took a step back and allowed Esdeath to observe Percii's body.

It appeared his deformities were mostly limited to his hands, feet and head, as there were none anywhere else, although Esdeath noticed even for a child, Percii's genitals were significantly undersized, another thing she took pity upon him for. She checked that area for signs of other possible abuse, for which there was none. The only front side of Percii's body that was significantly bruised was his abdomen, most likely from when he was thrown to the ground by Rattias. Esdeath then ran her hands down Percii's arms, abdomen, and legs trying to feel any other damage that might not be seen, to which there was also none. It also appeared Percii had the same condition of being hairless below the neck that she had. Esdeath then turned him around to inspect his backside. When she turned him around, Esdeath audibly gasped in shock.

On his back, there was one large visible laceration about as wide as a thumb on his right shoulder blade that went down diagonally to a few inches above his waist. It was also noticeably deep. There were several other thinner and smaller lacerations on his back as well. There was a collection of red-colored wounds covering his back and some on his buttocks. But the one wound that glared to Esdeath was the big one on his back, the lines running to each side of the wound were running a blood red, while the wound appeared to be blackening and oozing. She then went to touch the inside of the wound. She lightly ran her fingers partially down the wound. Percii let out an "ow" and shook in pain. Esdeath then pulled back feeling the ooze on her fingertips.

Daidara came to her holding out the box. "What are we going to do?", He asked.

Esdeath continued to stare at the large laceration.

"This is worse than I thought. These wounds, especially the big one needs to be cleaned and disinfected immediately. Prepare a hot bath for Percii. Daidara, I need you to go down to the temple, find the other slaves and direct them to our medical personnel. They will need to be inspected and treated. If they have wounds as bad as this one, bathe them first. Then have the medical teams make sketches of the subjects and their wounds, have them make detailed descriptions. We'll need this all documented and added to our evidence files." Esdeath instructed.

"Yes ma'am." They said. The two of them then set off to their respective tasks. Esdeath then hugged Percii.

"It's going to be alright." She promised. After 10 minutes, the bath was prepared. Esdeath then removed her hat, scarf and black sleeves before escorting Percii to the bath and helping him in. The hot water stung his wounds somewhat harshly and he moaned in pain. Upon entering the water, it turned pink in color as a result of the lingering blood. After a minute, Esdeath instructed Percii to hang over the edge of the tub. She then instructed Nyau to hold him down as she began to wash his wounds with soap and a washcloth. The soap also stung him, but this was done for several minutes before Esdeath had him place his whole body back in the tub to wash away the soap. After the bath, he was dried off with a towel.

Esdeath then had Percii lay on his stomach on the bed. Before getting onto the bed, Esdeath removed her footwear. She then began to apply the antiseptic swabs to further disinfect each wound. These stung Percii the hardest to the point tears began to roll down his face. To help him through it, Esdeath began to talk to Percii, asking him about his favorite things and if he liked living in God's Frost. Percii told her his favorite thing was his occasional trips to the coast to play with the seals, being they were the only things happy to see them when he brought them food. Percii said and he enjoyed living in God's Frost despite most people turning their heads at him.

As they talked, Esdeath then began to apply the ointments to the wounds. Unlike the hot bath water and swabs, these felt good to Percii, the cream mixed with Esdeath's soft and elegant hands massaging him was one of the most relaxing feelings Percii ever felt. He smiled as she applied the ointments and started to breath in a manner that conveyed appreciation.

"I think you're enjoying this." Esdeath noted.

"It feels good..." Percii affirmed.

"I'm glad you like it then. We're going to have to do this at least once a day until the wounds completely heal up." Esdeath mentioned. As she continued to apply the ointments, she instructed Nyau to start a fire in the fireplace and set up a mattress in front of it for Percii to sleep on.

After applying the ointments, Esdeath wiped clean her hands. She noted treating Percii's wounds used more of it than she thought, then worried if they had enough for him and other people who were flogged. Nevertheless, she instructed Percii to go to sleep on the mattress. Esdeath further instructed him to sleep while laying on his stomach as he did when she applied the swabs and ointments. Percii, still in a state of undress, slept naked for the night although another towel was given to him to cover the wounds on his back. She also instructed Nyau to bring him clean clothes for tomorrow. Percii was also provided with an additional fur blanket. Esdeath then read Percii one of her favorite Northern fairy tales from when she was a girl before he went to bed. That being the tale of Ulsmir, a friendly troll who rescued an ice pixie named Kyris from an evil lord, Harthor. When she finished, Percii said he liked the story very much. Before leaving him to sleep, Esdeath also told him in the morning she would need to make sketches of the wounds for her notes. She then kissed him goodnight, putting another blush and smile on Percii's face.

After Percii went to bed, Esdeath herself concluded it was in her best interest to follow suit. Esdeath then undressed from the rest of her General's uniform and changed into a thick blue robe. She then crawled onto the bed and slipped herself beneath the blankets. As she lay there, Esdeath began thinking to herself taking in everything that had happened on this day and the significance of it all.

Nine years had passed since she last set foot in the land she once called her home. She left as a young girl in hopes to join the Imperial Army and now she returns as one of its most feared generals. Tonight, she had just put down a rebellion near-single handedly, but then came the part of the job few people talked about, and rarely at that. Cleaning up and the aftermath. Esdeath remembered how this war started a little over a year ago.

While the North has always been an integral part of the Empire since its creation, most the people of the north in their isolation, live and die in the north. Coupled with the small Imperial garrisons, most people in the North never see Imperial soldiers, never venture south to the capitol, never have seen the Emperor, nor do most know the reigning Emperor's name. Many even go on not knowing the previous Emperor had died years ago. The only time the people of the North are reminded they are subjects of the Empire is if the Imperial Military is short on manpower and recruiters are sent to the villages. Even then, manpower is generally not in short supply in the Empire. While the Empire boasted of being the world's most advanced country in terms of military power, infrastructure, and social services, none of it was shared with the people of the North over the centuries. No city building, no modern roads for trading caravans, only forts and decent roads to them in order to quickly move men to and from them, and of course for re-supplying them if need be.

It was only the recent discovery of silver and diamonds in the north did the Empire decide to take interest in the North. The Crown Financial League, an umbrella agency that oversees the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Economy, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Ministry of Infrastructure formed a joint venture with Ministry of Mining which was apart of the Crown League of Development. The purpose of that joint venture was to set up a mining and trading apparatus in the areas of the North where Silver and Diamonds were located. While the majority of this would boost revenue for the Crown, each of these ministries were run by wealthy bureaucrats and oligarchs who would get a nice slice of the profits as well. Would the people of the North at least get to be trained as miners and see part of that wealth go to developing the North? No. For this reason and the Empire's lack of legitimacy in the eyes of Northerners, did Numa Seika raised his flags in rebellion. But whatever grievances the people of the North had with the Empire, no matter how legitimate, secession and insurrection was intolerable.

Initially, the Empire's bureaucrats believed Numa himself could be personally bought off with wealth and excess, but when the Empire sent a delegation to negotiate how much money he wanted, he sent their heads back in boxes. Esdeath knew that was a mistake that revealed the Empire as being out-of-touch with the people of the North. Even the "elites" in the North do not live that much differently than the people they rule. The people in the North respect only strength with most of them living for the hunt and rivalry with other clans, while living off the land. Wealth and luxury is very alien to the North, and very few saw its appeal, let alone desired to indulge in it. The North could only be brought to heel through military force.

For the Empire's strategy the military sought to occupy the lands of the rebel tribes until they took out the Seika homeland, but supply lines would be too difficult to maintain in the overall vastness of the north were Numa and the Northern tribes loyal to them could easily protract the conflict for years with guerrilla warfare. And with rebellion elsewhere in the Empire, it was settled that Esdeath herself would lead a 50,000 man contingent to strike directly at God's Frost where Numa and his rebels were holed up, while an additional 50,000 men would be used to maintain a supply line. As Esdeath's men made their way into the North and began to capture large swathes of territory to secure their supply lines and their advance, it was not without fierce resistance. While moving through the mountains, the rebels would set up ambush points from caves and strike at Imperial camps at night to burn their supplies. They also used tamed danger beasts to bolster their ranks and kill off large quantities of men. She even remembered a little over a week ago, they used explosives to try and bury her army in an avalanche. Although only partly successful, it still ended up killing several thousand men and almost killed her in the process. Esdeath was caught off guard as they did this in the early morning hours while she still slept. While being able to save the bulk of army, she couldn't save all of them. At this point, the rebels inflicted a little over 5,000 casualties against her army at this point while her army was only able to kill and capture just shy of 4,000 Northern rebels. But now, the final casualties would be tallied. She already estimated she lost no more than a few hundred men in this battle while the Northern rebels lost thousands if not tens of thousands more.

This war was over, but Esdeath's heart ached knowing once she was done in God's Frost, she would have to return to the Capital and face the growing conflict that was starting to spread throughout the Empire. That conflict being an insurgency by the "Revolutionary Army," a growing rebel band that sought to overthrow the Empire and replace it with a republic. Esdeath's heart ached especially knowing that one day, she might have to once again personally confront the one person she looked up to the most...


	4. Chapter 3: Kill The Trial (Part 1)

The jail cells below the Imperial Guard barracks were dark and dank in contrast to the light and liveliness of the barracks and Capital as a whole. Stone floors, stone walls, the place was dimly lit with scattered torches being held along the walls. The door to each cell was wooden, but secured with metal locks and hinges with a barred window to peer in. But into the barracks, one well dressed and cleanly cut man sought access. That man was known as Bach.

Bach was fairly handsome with light brown hair that was mistakenly blond in appearance and side-fringe in shape. He had amber eyes, a hawk nose and a pleasant smile. Bach stood at above average height at 5'11. For a build, he was on the muscular side, with prominent abs and arm muscles, but was not a body builder by any means. His shape was hidden away under his attire which consisted of a formal, orange-brown trench coat, purple and white pin-striped shirt, matching tie for his coat and black suspenders that matched his pants. His shoes were formal oxford, and likewise black in color, but leather in material. As he walked, he carried a dark brown briefcase.

What made Bach stand out however was his position. Bach was the Minister of Justice, the Empire's top law practitioner. He oversaw the Ministry of Justice and the Crown League of Justice and Law, an umbrella league consisting of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Public Administration, and Ministry of Social Policy. In addition to this position, he was also the Grand Prosecutor. And as Grand Prosecutor, he was weeks away from taking on one of his biggest cases yet, the trial of Numa Seika, a rebellious Northern Warlord defeated by the Imperial Army a little over a month and a half previously. But he was not at the Imperial Guard's barrack cells to see the Prince himself, but someone rather close to him.

Arriving before the entrance that lead to the cells stood two guards at the door, and a guard at the desk. The guard at the desk was flanked by large man and a smaller young woman or teenage girl, both glad in the Imperial Police's Elite Guard signature armor.

"Here comes our guest of honor", the large man said.

Bach then stopped before the guard at the desk. Bach leaned forward and bowed his head.

"A pleasure to see you again, Captain Ogre", Bach said to the large man.

"Meh, I think we can dispense with the pleasantries", Ogre responded.

Ogre truly lived up to his name, being a brute of man who appeared to be in his 40s. Hulking at around 6'6, he had arms, legs, and a chest built like a fortress made of pure muscle. He had a short, military-style haircut, being dark brown in color, but strips of graying hair by his side burns. Ogre's facial appearance was the most frightening thing about him. His left eye was missing and left a very visible star-shaped wound he left uncovered. His other was black with a red pupil. Ogre had stubble around his face, but his teeth were sharp like a monster's.

The younger woman with him had long auburn hail in a ponytail that nearly came down the ground. Her eyes were amber in color. She had prominent dimples on her cheeks as well as prominent cheekbones and a narrow chin. This girl appeared to be in her early to mid 20s and wore identical armor as Ogre did. Despite the rather bleak environment of their dank and inhospitable cells best suited for the least deserving, this girl nonetheless displayed a rather eager and optimistic look on her face as if she was enjoying every minute of her job. She seemed like a "true believer" of sorts. The girl then looked at Bach as if happy to see him.

"Seryu Ubiquitous at your service, Minister Bach! As Minister of Justice I hope to one day serve you in our common cause of making the evil doers and scoundrels within our Empire answer for their crimes!", she said excitedly holding her hand out to be shaken.

Bach took her hand and shook it. As the Minister of Justice he of course held the power to prosecute anyone, and it was for this reason few people were happy to see him, so it was bit surreal to see a young member of the Imperial Police's Elite Guard eager to see him.

"Why thank you, Seryu. I can tell you are serving the cause of justice in a fine manner just by being here with Captain Ogre", Bach answered betraying he was caught off-guard by her cheeriness.

"So Minister, you're here to see one of our captives?", asked Ogre.

"Indeed. I trust you know which one it is?", inquired Bach.

"I'd be lacking if I said I didn't", Ogre answered.

"Then I'll see him now", Bach said.

"Seryu, take Bach to the prisoner!", ordered Ogre.

Seryu then saluted him in one swift, robotic motion. "Yes sir, Captain Ogre! I shall escort the Justice Minister, the honorable Bach to the wretched traitor we are tasked with guarding!", she answered with spunk.

Ogre then handed her the keys and then a torch from off the wall.

"Right this way, Minister!", Seryu boldly announced. She then lead Bach down to the depths that contained the lower cells. They walked down a winding, stone staircase. As soon as they got down there was a long, seemingly endless hall that seemed to stretched into the darkness lined with cells on each side. The walls were even more dimly lit than the hall he just came from, above these ones.

Seryu continued to lead them. Slime oozed from the floor and walls as the occasional drop of water would descend from the ceiling unto the puddles on the floor. The sound of them walking was the loudest thing Bach could hear, but he also heard the sounds of coughing, rattling chains, mice and rats squeaking, and of course, the occasional despair-ridden moan of what inmates called this place their home now.

Despite the dreadful atmosphere, Seryu continued along, just as cheerful as when she introduced herself, going on and on about justice and how much she enjoyed being trained by Captain Ogre, considering it her life's greatest blessing to have been given the opportunity to join not only the Imperial Police, but its Imperial Guard formation.

Like the Imperial Military, the Imperial Police was organized into several divisions. The Elite Guard was of course, the most elite as its named implied. The Imperial Guard of the Imperial Police were essentially a gendarmery, a lightly armed paramilitary formation with jurisdiction in civilian law enforcement. If the Imperial Army was short of manpower in a particular region, the Elite Guard could be called up to assist them as they would be more reliable than mere conscripts. If there was no Imperial Army presence and a hostile force had taken over a nearby village, the Elite Guard could be deployed to retake the village. Members of the Elite Guard performed basic Imperial Police duties such as investigating crimes, guard duty, and wore basic Imperial police uniforms, but when deployed for combat, they looked indistinguishable from Imperial soldiers. Only members of the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Police could be deployed for combat, most Imperial Police and Capital Guards are not trained for combat and are only called upon to defend the city if under siege.

Seryu's talk of her admiration of Ogre and her personal quest for justice seemed about as endless as the hall they walked down, much to Bach's mild irritation. Sure, he could appreciate their mutual path, but one thing Bach was not, was a zealot which Seryu was making herself appear as. But it was not long before he came to the desired cell.

"Here he is Justice Minister! Here's the villain you wish to see. If he tries anything, just say the world and I'll"-

"It's okay Seryu, I can handle myself, you just stand back and let me speak with the prisoner, you just standby, and I implore you not to eavesdrop, what I say to him is just between me and him", Bach instructed her.

"As you wish!", she answered. After unlocking the cell, Seryu then made herself obscure and then began to whistle, presumably to pass the time. Bach then made his way into the cell to find the prisoner.

And there he sat at the far end of the cell lined up against the back of the wall, limp and corpse like. His left foot was chained to a large iron ball wearing nothing but worn, torn up rags for shorts. Although on the muscular side, his ribs were clearly visible. Bach then approached him squatting down and holding a torch to him to get a better look at his face, partially obscured by his now messy, unkempt black hair. The boy was in his late teens and he held a hand try to lessen the glare from the torch, a sign his eyes had grown to used to the darkness.

"Kuma Seika...", Bach addressed him.

"Yeah... that's me... Who... who are you?...", spoke the prisoner.

Bach then "tsked" then looked around before looking right back at him.

"That depends kid, I can be your way out of here, or way that ensures you never see the light of day again...", answered Bach.

Kuma then gave him a confused look.

"My name is Bach. I am the Minister of Justice and Grand Prosecutor. I will be responsible for trying your brother, his cronies... and depending on how our time today goes... you..." Bach answered.

Kuma then gasped and looked at him with an expression of fear. "W-what do you want from me?", Kuma then asked.

Bach once again looked around Kuma before answering him.

"Your cooperation. I'm going to be honest with you Kuma. I've had my position for quite a while now. I keep it because I'm good at what I do, and what I do, is put people in jail. People who've wronged the Empire. Once your brother's Empire was put down, my office was flooded with evidence of various crimes committed by your brother," Bach told him.

"I'm not my brother", Kuma bluntly said while sounding like he was gasping for air.

Bach then looked at him and narrowed his eyes. "Indeed. While looking into your brother and his goonish underlings, I've also been looking into you. The case against you is rather weak to be honest, but that doesn't mean I can't and won't pursue it if you give me a reason to", Bach answered.

"So, where does this cooperation you want come in?", asked Kuma.

"Are you literate?", Bach asked ignoring Kuma's question.

"Yes".

"I understand 'justice' is carried out quite differently in the North than it is in the rest of the Empire. Do you have any idea how Imperial Courts work? ", Bach inquired.

"Not really", Kuma answered.

"Alright here is where the cooperation will come in", Bach began. He then started to open his briefcase and began looking going through his papers, looking for one he already filled out but just needed his and Kuma's signature. He felt fortunate knowing Kuma was literate.

"As the man prosecuting your brother, and the one who can prosecute you if I so chose, this is how things can go if you agree to them. I will end my investigation of you tonight, not press charges and you can go free."

"Really?!" Kuma said suddenly perking up with excitement and relief.

Bach then gave an annoyed sigh, this kid was clearly ahead of himself.

"On the condition you agree to testify against your brother, give an oral and written oath of loyalty to the Empire, and enlist in its armed forces", Bach continued.

"Is... is that all?", Kuma asked still giving Bach a hopeful look.

Bach then grinned. Clearly this young man had no idea what he was agreeing to. Bach then concluded there is no way Kuma could have been significantly involved in Numa's rebellion, he appeared to much like a happy-go-lucky-idiot.

"Yes. Now this would involve you betraying your brother by giving evidence against him-"

"Betray him? That guy's an asshole, I'll tell you everything right now if you want!", Kuma went on all excited.

Bach's grin turned into a smirk. If Prince Numa's own brother was willing to provide information on him, than his case was nothing but assured, not that he needed Kuma's help to prove his brother's guilt, but it would still make his job all the more easier.

"Thanks, but save it for the bench, that's where it will count", Bach told him. He then pulled out the pre-written contract, a quill, and a small, sealed jar of ink which he then unsealed to dip the quill in. He then handed it to Kuma.

"Uh, some light would help", said Kuma.

"It merely says what we agreed to. I will not pursue charges against you in exchange for testifying for me, the prosecution. Any evidence you give against your brother will not be used against you. It also contains your written oath of loyalty to the Empire, and upon the conclusion of the trial, you will enlist in the Imperial Military", Bach told him.

"Alright!" Kuma said with glee. Bach then brought him the briefcase to lean on to sign the contract. Bach also held his touch so he can see. After Kuma signed the contract, Bach then signed.

"You, Mr. Seika, I don't think I've ever met someone who has been as eager to testify against their own brother as you have", commented Bach.

"I told you, he's an asshole. Ever since we were kids, he'd act like he was better than me because he was older and groomed to succeed my dad and rule our clan's holdings. And with my dad gone basically mentally incapable for three years now, he acts like he's the boss now. But not anymore!", Kuma said beginning to laugh after he finished speaking.

Bach did nothing but smirk as he put the contract away and began to pack up his things. He was about to leave until Kuma spoke up again.

"Wait! If I'm no longer being prosecuted, can you know, like... get me out of here?" Kuma asked still optimistic.

Bach then turned around. This kid was smarter than he appeared.

"Ah yes, I'll see to it that you'll be removed from these cells. But it won't happen right away, and you'll still be in Imperial custody until the trial has ended. You'll most likely end up in a single barrack here, but still under watch. You'll be allowed to walk whatever premise you'll be transferred to and maybe even allowed to walk around the city during certain hours of the day. But still under supervision of course", Bach informed him.

"Alright, still better than this. I know I just talked crap about my brother, but seriously, he treated me better than throwing me in a dark hole wearing only rags", Kuma complained.

"I'll try to make it speedy", Bach promised with a hint of annoyance. Bach then opened the door and then exited the cell.

"Yo! Thanks man!" Kuma exclaimed with a bright smile. Bach then slammed the door behind him. True to his word, as soon as Bach made his way out of the cells, he met with Ogre again and wrote him a personal petition that Kuma would not be charged in connection to his brother's crimes in exchange for testifying against Numa, but he'll still be in Imperial custody. After two days, Kuma was removed from his cell, given a bath and some clean clothes to wear. He was given his own room at the Imperial Guard's central Capital barracks, just above where he was staying. The terms Bach gave him were true, his presence was limited to the barrack grounds but he was allowed travel up to 1 mile from the barrack. When not in his room, he was to be under supervision. His primary supervisor, was none other than Seryu Ubiquitous, much to her initial confusion as to why this evil man was being let off so easily. Ogre then explained Bach concluded there was no evidence suggesting Kuma was complicit in Numa's crimes, and he was in fact going to testify against him. Almost instantly, Seryu took a better liking to Kuma, but still displayed a no nonsense attitude as his primary supervising officer which she would do on Monday-Friday, then Ogre himself on the weekends.

While Kuma, Numa, and Numa's underlings who were captured were immediately brought to the Capital to stand trial, their captor on the other hand, General Esdeath had to spend a little extra time in the North ensuring that her men had a enough resources and manpower to ensure the new provisional northern government could function and deal with any remaining rebels who still challenged Imperial rule in the North. While there, she and her three beasts continued to care for her new friend, Percii, a deformed little boy who was subject to cruelty at the hands of Numa and his cronies, particularly Numa's second in command, Rattias, whom she decapitated when he tried to strike at her. When not on duty, she took some time with her new friend in re-exploring the land she once called home. About three weeks after taking God's Frost, she transferred command to her secondary commanders and departed back to the Capital with Percii and her Three Beasts; Liver, Nyau, and Daidara.

Upon her triumphant return to the capital she went straight to the Imperial palace the night of her return. The Emperor's throne room was grand and radiant. It was dome-shaped, with reflective white tiles that appeared gold due to the reflection of other gold objects in the room. The pillars holding up the dome were marble and white, with purple bases supporting them. Before the Emperor's throne was an elevated area that lead to it that required 11 steps. A red carpet lead to the throne with a gold border on each side. On the walls to the elevated area, there was marble trimming with green-painted inner area carved into it with gold etchings of crowns and thorns among a black backdrop with golden trimming. The Emperor's throne was large, at least a story and a half-high that was golden, also decorated with golden vines. His seat had a red-cushion double arch behind it, and behind his throne were purple curtains decorated with orange leaves.

On the throne sat the Emperor himself. He was a young boy, 10 years of age. His father and mother both died when he was still just a toddler among when their ship sank under mysterious circumstances after visiting another nation. The Emperor had shoulder-length teal-colored hair with braids on each side with forest-green eyes, his nose was greek and tiny. The Emperor was of average height for someone his age, standing at about four feet tall, although he was very much on the thin side, but not necessarily frail. He wore a long blue cape with gold trimming around the collar. It was held together by a gold chain. The cape matched the colors of his headdress, although the center-swath of it was white. He wore a long purple dress-shirt with black and gold cuffs at the wrists. He wore a white belt along his purple short-shorts and white boots. The Emperor held a golden scepter with a blue ball at the center.

Beside the Emperor was his regent, Prime Minister Honest. Honest was a very large man in terms of how tall and bulky he was. Honest was 54 years old and stood tall at 6'5. With age, he had gray hair on the long side, a gray handlebar mustache, and a gray beard than came down to his chest. His eyes were yellow in color. Honest wore a long light-gray overcoat with a dark furry interior. He wore a dark green shirt and pants with brown boots. Honest also wore a brown belt with a gilded buckle around his waist, which was sometimes hard to notice, as Honest had a bulbous gut sticking out in front.

Esdeath approached them, still clad in her usual white uniform. Just before the stairs to the throne, she removed her hat and knelt down, placing one palm to the floor and bowed to the Emperor with grace.

"Your majesty, and Prime Minister Honest, I have delivered you the North under Imperial authority as promised. I have also succeed in bringing back the rebellious malcontent, so-called 'Prince Numa', and his henchmen to answer for the crimes they have committed against the Empire, and its people", Esdeath announced.

"General Esdeath...", the Emperor began.

"Yes, sir!" Esdeath answered.

"I commend you on your conquest of the North. As a reward, I shall ready ten thousand gold pieces for you", said the Emperor.

Esdeath then looked up and smiled at him. "Thank you very much. I shall send it to the soldiers I left behind to guard the North. They will be most pleased", she said.

"Very admirable of you, General", commented Honest.

"Is there, anything else you need of me?", Esdeath asked.

"Not at the minute. In addition to the pay, you've earned a two week vacation, then you'll be stationed in the Capital until further notice", the Emperor told her.

"I am grateful", Esdeath stated. She then arose and then took her leave.

Although relieved from military duties for the time being, Esdeath still kept herself busy making sure Numa's victims, particularly Percii was receiving adequate medical care for his wounds. Esdeath and Percii began to grow close, with Percii being amazed at the sight of the capital. He had never seen green grass before, felt warm weather, and saw a city so huge. His reactions to it all reminded Esdeath of her initial reactions to the things when she experienced them for the first time. Esdeath even considering adopting him, but ultimately decided she couldn't at the current time due to ongoing civil war. The monks at the temple his father guarded agreed to raise him after the trial was over. Esdeath showed Percii the many sights of the capital, but also took it upon herself to see him educated by going to the Ministry of Education to request a tutor for him. Esdeath personally met with the Education Minister, a bald, old man named Suka. Suka appeared to be in his 60s. For about two hours a day from 11AM-1PM, Monday through Friday, Percii would meet with young man named Run, who would help teach him to read and write.

But soon, the day came and Numa Seika had his initial appearance in court. He sat by himself wearing a formal black kimono. Across from him sat Bach, the Grand Prosecutor and his assistant prosecutor. Before them though sat five judges, each wearing black robes, a white band, and red scarves. All of the judges were men except for one, like the rest, she was middle-aged. The head judge took center to the dais. He was a man nearing 60, had skin slightly darker than average, but had graying brown hair. He also wore glasses. His name, Judge Gray.

The courtroom was fairly large, enough to pack several hundred people. The seats and lower half of the walls were made of red-brown wood with fasces etched in them. The walls were white but the windows were arched and had were translucent.

A female bailiff came forward after the judges took their seats. She had tan skin and dark hair and appeared in her late 20s to early 30s. She looked almost indistinguishable from Seryu in her Imperial Guard uniform.

"Case Number 432, The Empire vs Numa Seika", she announced.

Numa merely sat there, clearly infuriated at being in this court. To him, this was nothing more than a charade of victor's justice. He had no regard for the Empire's rules, he was the Crown Prince of the North. These Imperials schemed him out of power somehow. The last thing he remembered was his cowardly people fleeing in the face of their enemies as he scolded them, and then woke up in chains with his armor gone with Imperial soldiers telling him his reign was over and Imperial control over the North was re-established. Numa became enraged, cursing that such a thing was impossible, he could not be defeated, but somehow they did. Regardless, Numa still very much considered himself the legitimate ruler of the North and was not subject to Imperial laws. He should be in the North ruling, but now he was here, answering for crimes he did not recognize.

"Mr. Seika," Judge Gray began. "I see you are not being represented by counsel today. We understand this is of your own choice. Now you do have the right to defend yourself. But you also have a right to counsel, and you should consider very carefully on how you wish to proceed in regards to being represented or not", he continued.

Before the trial, he was frequented by the Imperial authorities at his cell asking if he wanted "legal representation". What an absurd notion. Numa didn't need some schmuck the Empire to show how wrong they were.

"Right to defend myself?! What the hell you mean by that?" Numa asked rather brashly.

Judge Gray re-adjusted his glasses and then began to look down.

"You have the right to represent yourself in this trial against the charges being brought up against you. You may also be provided with legal counsel on your behalf, or you may proceed by yourself. But judging by what the court knows, it knows you are not a law man, and it knows there is little to practice of law and justice in an Imperial sense in the North. You may find some difficulty in the proceedings as a result of these things. If you seek counsel, now is the time to request it and the tribunal will be put on hold. You can request an adjournment to consider the matter for up to ten days. Otherwise you may continue with the proceedings today by yourself and then appoint counsel later if you wish", Judge Gray explained calmly, unphased by Numa's tone.

Numa then looked around the courtroom, anger was clearly on the visage he displayed.

"You guys cheated to beat me!", Numa quietly snarled. "You Imperials... 'Right to defend myself?' After blacking out? Inside this cage? You make me laugh with your false sense of kindness!", he lashed out.

Judge Gray then sighed. "Mr. Seika, do you wish to seek counsel at this current time or not? Kindly limit your answer to 'Yes, I would like counsel' or 'No, I wish to proceed by myself for the time being', please".

Numa then smirked before answering. "Yes, I would like counsel..." he began as if he was going to add something on top of that.

"The accused has requested counsel. Mr. Seika, is there someone whose profession is law that you would like to personally appoint to your defense, or would you like the Tribunal to provide counsel, for you-" Judge Gray asked.

"...On how you weak pathetic people managed to beat me!" Numa interrupted. "I refuse to accept this loss! This isn't right! How is it possible that you weak fools could turn off my lights and kill all my people?!" The defiant prince continued.

"Mr. Seika, now is not the time for speeches. In due course, you will have the opportunity to present your defense." Judge Gray rebutted. "I will ask again: Is there someone whose profession is law you like to appoint your defense or would you like the Tribunal to appoint counsel on your behalf?"

Numa grew even more annoyed than this "judge" was. He had no time for this technical, legal babble the Empire was playing him with. These people had to know something about how the Empire was able to bring him down, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. Someway, somehow he would find a way to turn the trial to his favor.

"Admit it! You guys cheated! You know, I know and everyone in this room knows that I could easily kill of you!" Numa exclaimed blatantly ignoring the judge's request. "I don't know what you or someone else did, but that was a cowardly move on all your parts!" He continued to yell. "And the way I see it, ALL OF YOU GOT LUCKY!"

"Mr. Seika, one more outburst and the court will be forced to remove you from the courtroom." Judge Gray stated firmly, not having any of Numa's antics. "One last time. Is there someone whose profession is law you like to appoint your defence or would you like the Tribunal to appoint counsel on your behalf?"

The Prince decided to ease up a bit, looking around then folded his arms in contempt.

"I have nothing to say. All of you are cheating cowards" Numa said, following it up with a spit. "And in case you're wondering, It was all my idea. I wanted to take over this place. It belongs to the strong and violent!" The Prince then headbutted his own head against the desk in front of him. He then lifted it up with blood dripping from his forehead as he looked up at Judge Gray giving him an angry glare as he smiled at his own defiance.

Judge Gray then sighed again. "The accused has requested counsel in jest, has failed to appoint counsel on his own behalf, and displays disruptive behavior. Such motions render that the court will appoint counsel on the accused's behalf. The trial will adjure for the next 72 hours so the court may appoint counsel to the accused's defense." Gray then banged on his gavel twice dismissing the court. Numa was then escorted away by the guards.

A day later, the court assigned a man named Rugi to Numa's defense. Rugi tried to help Numa form a defense, but Numa was still much trouble for the man, not trusting him because he was still an "Imperial" as Numa would put it. Rugi put it short by asking for a list of people he would like to testify in his defense. Numa named several of his underlings (who were also being tried), several clansmen who were not being tried, and of course his brother. However, when Rugi informed Numa that Kuma had already agreed to testify for the prosecution, the Prince flew into a rage cursing his brother for being a traitor and demanded to know why Kuma betrayed him. Rugi then explained to Numa that it was part of an exchange, the prosecution would not charge his brother in exchange for testifying against him. Numa then cursed him as a traitor, vowing to make Kuma rue the day he was born.

The next day, Esdeath took Percii to one of schools run by the Ministry of Education. It was once a dojo that taught the martial arts style known as the "Imperial Fist". However, the dojo ran into financial difficulties and sold the property to the Ministry. It was the closest one to the palace, near where Esdeath resided. It was an overcast day when Esdeath walked Percii to this place. Although Percii was excited to learn how to read and write, he was still a bit nervous going somewhere new and meeting someone who might be unfriendly towards due to his appearance.

"Remember you'll be here for 2 hours a day Monday through Friday. Are you excited?" Esdeath asked.

"Yes, Esdeath...", answered Percii with a slight, but noticeable smile.

"Good. I spoke with the Education Minister, he says he should have someone here", said Esdeath.

The two of them then walked up to the school. The teacher that was assigned to Percii would be on the first floor in the third room to the right. Esdeath took Percii there and slid open the door. The inside was like most other dojos Esdeath had seen, only the room itself was 2 stories high. Most of the walls were actually frames and rice paper. The place was lit with mounted lanterns. A beige carpet covered the floors although the bulk of the dojo's floor descend towards the center a few steps leading downward. At the far end of the wall to their left, some ceremonial swords were still left hanging on a plague on the wall. At the center of the floor, a small dark oak table was placed. Standing by the table, was the man Esdeath presumed to be Percii's teacher.

"Hello. You must be Percii and General Esdeath", the man said in welcoming tone with a smile.

Esdeath smiled back at him. "That's right, and who might you be?", she asked.

The man then approached the two of them.

"My name, is Run", he answered.

Run was a handsome man, and appeared to be around the General's age. He had shoulder-length blond hair and golden eyes. He appeared to be just one inch shorter than Esdeath standing with Run standing at 5'9. He wore small, circular glasses, a white suit with a light-gray vest underneath. Despite his attire, Run was moderately muscular with visible abs and biceps. Although a man, Run had some rather feminine features about his form. His legs were long and his arms were elegant. His hands were also soft and well-moistened to the touch.

"Well Run, as you can tell, I'm the General", Esdeath said holding her hand out.

Run then took her hand then shook it.

"A pleasure to meet you, General Esdeath", Run said. He then looked down to see Percii. "And you must be Percii", he said holding his hand to him.

"Hi... Run...", Percii then became nervous, fearing how Run would react to his four-fingered right hand. Percii had hoped he would have switched hands for him, and so he hesitated to pull it out to reciprocate Run's greeting. "Oh".

Esdeath then looked to Percii, she could tell he was nervous. "It's okay, Percii", she tried to assure him.

"P-please don't be scared... I was born like this... And my hand is... it's..." Percii began fighting back tears.

"I'm not scared Percii. Please be at ease", Run said to him in a sympathetic tone.

Percii then hesitated for another moment. He then finally gave Run his deformed right-hand without a ring finger. Run then shook it and smiled at him like it was nothing.

"There we go, it's not so bad, huh?", Run said to Percii.

"I was just scared that you'll... laugh at me. Everyone makes fun of me for it," Percii said with a tear rolling down his eye looking at the ground.

"Run then put his hand on Percii's shoulder. "Well, I'm not like that. And I'm pleased the General is not like that either" he said in the same sympathetic tone while smiling at him.

"The Education minister assured me, he would provide us with the nicest teacher for you," Esdeath told Percii.

"Teacher? You will be my teacher?", Percii asked looking at Run.

"I will. And if you need me to, I'll be your friend," Run said. He then squatted down to Percii's level then winked and smiled at him.

Percii then felt relieved. With Run's words it almost felt like the moment Esdeath kissed him for the first time, although nowhere near as strong. The same feeling and comfort and safety he felt with Esdeath, he now felt with Run. The only thing missing was the same funny feeling Esdeath gave that he began to feel and crave whenever they were together, especially when Esdeath would let him sleep in her bed with her.

"You're so nice. No one would ever teach me. Except work", Percii said.

"As I said Percii, he's going to teach you how to read and write, and depending on how long this trial goes, maybe even more things." Esdeath reminded him.

"I hope so. Rattias was so mean..." Percii said with sadness appearing on his face again.

Run then gave Esdeath a look that read that he didn't know the context of Percii's word.

"Rattias was one of the men who abused him", Esdeath briefly explained.

Run's face was a mixture of sorrow and disgust. "Well I would never do that. I wouldn't have this job if I did. Percii, when you're with me, you won't ever have to worry about anyone hurting you". Run told him in a comforting tone.

Percii then looked back at Esdeath. "You're right, Esdeath, everything would be better", he said.

"You see, people are a lot nicer in the capital", Esdeath replied.

"So far, nobody is mean to me... Thank you..." Percii went on.

"You're welcome. Do you want me to stay and observe your first lesson, if that's okay with Run, here?"

"I would be fine with that", said Run.

And with that, Run took Percii down to the dark oak table. Esdeath then took a seat by the door and pulled out a pocket-sized volume.

"So, has General Esdeath tried to prep you by teaching you herself first? If so, what have you learned?" Run asked as they made their way down.

"That... this place is beautiful and that you are all here to help..." Percii replied.

"That's nice of her, but I meant did she help try to help you in regards to reading and writing so far?" Retorted Run.

"She did. A little... I don't really know..." Percii said as the two of them took their seats on some matching cushions.

"Alright fair enough, I'll start from the beginning", said Run.

When Run and Percii got to the table Run pulled out a scroll and unfurled it across the table. The scroll merely contained all the letters to the alphabet on it, well spaced-out. Percii looked at the letters with curiosity, not knowing what they were.

"These are the letters of the Alphabet. There's 26 of them", Run explained. He then pointed to the letter A with a long and thin pointed stick. "Do you know what this letter is?" he asked Percii.

Percii then observed the letter. "A...ah..." he answered.

"Very good!" Run exclaimed. "Do you know what this letter is?", he asked pointing to "B".

Percii then hesitated for moment. "B-buh...",

"That letter which you got is "B", a word that begins with "B" is "big". You got that?", Run asked.

"Bee.. B! Yes!", Percii exclaimed.

"What's that one?" Percii asked pointing to the letter "C".

"That letter is 'C'. This can be a little tricky. It can either 'ck' sound like the letter 'K'. A word that begins with 'C' is 'cat'. But the letter 'C' can also make 'Cs' sound like the letter 'S'. Another word that begins with 'C' is 'cement'. Got it? " Run explained.

"Si. Si! Ca. Ca-ca. Ca. Si? Ca? Yes." Percii said.

Esdeath smiled looking on at the lesson. She felt relief knowing she could trust Run with Percii for a few hours a day while she took care of more important business as he learned to read and write. Esdeath considered Percii lucky. He was 6 years old learning how to read and write, but when she first came to the capital at age 11, she still did not know how to read or write. She had to learn quickly before enrolling in the Imperial military academy.

Soon, it was the day the trial began. Judge Gray read the charges against Numa. Numa was charged with Two counts of Insurrection against the Empire. (One against the Tesak family and one against the Empire itself), 1 count of treason, 1 count of forming an unlawful armed force, 1 count of sedition ( 32 separate charges, one for every speech he gave denouncing the Empire that was witnessed by 5 or more people), 1 count of murder with 76 victims attributed to him (The eight members of the Tesak family and 49 of their servants and clansmen who were murdered and hacked up to leave behind the "Imperials! Be Warned!" message, five Imperial diplomats, 97 Imperial soldiers, and 61 others who had opposed Numa's reign), 1 count of rape, (8 women claimed Numa personally raped them, many of them said several times for a total of 27 times), 1 count of Slavery (Not only for the people he made slaves after the capture of God's Frost which included Percii, but members from the other tribes and clans he subjugated for a total of 224 slaves). Numa was also charged for an unspecified number of counts for other crimes such as the unlawful destruction of property, cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners and captives, pillaging, torture, attacking civilians. Numa was asked if we would like to enter pleas today, or a further 14 day adjournment to consider pleading. Bach offered Numa to be spared execution and instead get life in prison if he plead guilty to all charges. Rugi also said he should accept the offer, but Numa stubbornly refused, demanding to know how he was beaten and that he did not accept the Empire's laws. Numa, by default pledged not guilty to all counts.

At Numa's next day in court, the Prosecution began its case with Bach giving a personal history of the Seikas. The Seikas first recorded history in non-Northern records appeared around the First Emperor's conquest of the North, but it was stated they existed for about 400 years prior to that, and they had constantly formed close alliances and battled for domination of the North with Kazuma I being the first Seika to hold the title "King of the North" about 275 years before the First Emperor conquered the North. Kazuma was followed by Kazuma II who only reigned for 5 years before succumbing to an illness, but Kazuma's heir Suguru Seika became King at 14, and his reigned ended after 20 months when the other clans rose up to depose the young king. Interestingly, the leaders of the rebellion would become future allies of the Seikas, the Rebane clan, but one of the key clans who aided the Rebane clan, was none other than Esdeath's own Partas clan. It was then brought up the Seika's have rebelled nine times against the North's rulers since then, including four times while the North was under control of the Empire.

Bach then proceeded with Numa's own personal history, that he was born into the Seika's head branch and that he was 25 years old. Numa was the first of four children born to his father, Touma Seika, and his mother, Mana Seika. His siblings were his younger brother Kuma, age 17, and his younger sister, Rumi age 13. Between Numa and Kuma, there was another sister, Yoru. Yoru supported her older brother's efforts to claim the North, but was killed in battle early on in the rebellion at age 21. About two years ago, his father Yuma's mental rapidly deteriorated and became the de-facto head of the clan, as he was groomed to one day take up. Numa became away of the Empire's plans to mine for silver and diamonds in the north, and hoping to keep the wealth for himself, rose up in rebellion declaring himself Crown-Prince of the North, its rightful ruler since the Tesaks, the previous ruling family of the North welcomed the Imperial miners. After the Seikas and their allies subjugated 70% of the other Northern clans and tribes, they attacked Imperial troops garrisoned in the North, and then marched on God's Frost to kill the Tesaks and their allies. After killing the Teasaks, the Imperial government tried to negotiate with Numa, offering recognize his rule over the North in exchange for keeping the North under Imperial sovereignty and allowing the mining project to commence. Numa refused, murdering the Imperial diplomats sent to meet with him and proclaiming the North was his to rule and he would never bend the knee to a Child Emperor he never met and would most likely never set foot in the North. In his unlawful conquest for the North, Numa and his commanders committed various other crimes such as looting, pillaging, torture, rape, enslavement, and murder. His reign of the North came to an end after General Esdeath took 100,000 Imperial soldiers North, marched on God's Frost, and routed his army after a battle that only lasted a few hours at the most.

After the "summary", (It took Bach about 90 minutes to go through the history of the Seikas and the personal history of Numa) Numa was then asked by Judge Gray if he had anything to comment on. Numa sardonically praised Bach's summary claiming it was all true, his clan ruled the North at one point, asserting in bragging sense the Seika's were the North's most powerful clan and that he would continue to rule the North "once I'm done with you all, here". However, Numa denied his men were as "savage" as Bach depicted them, and even if they were, it was no concern of the North, because when he took God's Frost, the Empire lost all jurisdiction and claim to the North, saying anything his men may or may not have done afterwards could not be illegal because he was (and is) the "true authority" of the North. After several minutes of his long-winded speech, Judge Gray asked him to settle down, and this was not the time for speeches. Numa snapped back that Gray put Bach's opening summary to him for comment, and he was commenting.

The trial sessions would last four hours a day for 5 days a week. The Prosecution went through each charge and brought in the victims as their witnesses. The prosecution's case was mostly self-made. Although for a few of the alleged rape victims, Numa was able to show that under cross-examination there were inconsistencies in a few of their stories, but nonetheless at times both wittingly and unwittingly admitted to several of the crimes. But one of the first "witnesses" wasn't even someone who had personally saw anything that happened in the North, but rather kept records on the Tesaks and their administration practices, as Numa claimed he raised his clan and its allies in rebellion against the Tesaks' kowtowing to the Imperial government, particularly the mining proposals. This witness, was a 17 year-old intern for the Ministry of Public Administration. Her name, Scarlet.

Scarlet was very much of petite size. She was only 5'4 in height, and very thin. Her arms were on the shorter side, coming down to just below her waist. Her legs were on the long side though. As for her breasts, they were were noticeable, but small. Scarlet as her name implied, had scarlet red hair with sections of it dyed black. Unlike most girls, she kept her hair on the shorter side then most with it only being medium in length. Scarlet's eyes were dark gray in color, and she wore glasses with red frames. Beneath her lips, she had a tiny, but noticeable mole. In regards to her outfit, Scarlet wore a formal black skirt, black stockings, and and black vest with a formal white dress shirt. Her vest had silver trimming.

As Scarlet took the stand she took the formal swearing in stating her name and that that she swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. After she swore in, Numa immediately objected.

"This woman was not in the North, she didn't see anything! There is nothing this so-called witness can offer! She is a false witness! Proof this so-called trial is Imperial theater! If you mean to kill me, then get it over with, I don't want my last months sitting through victor's so-called justice!", Numa strongly protested.

"Mr. Seika, you've raised another wise valid concern, but this is something for we, the judges to consider. Once the witness has provided their testimony, we will decide its value". Judge Gray rebutted. He then allowed Bach to question Scarlet.

"Ms. Scarlet, what is your position in the Ministry of Public Administration?", Bach asked.

"I'm an assistant to the Minister. I do all sorts of tasks; I keep keep records, manage communications with the ministry and the local governments, sometimes mediate between disputes, write reports, stuff like that". Scarlet answered.

Bach smiled before continuing. "Very well. Do you know why the accused waged war against the Empire?" he asked.

"From what I know, he wanted an independent North with himself as its ruler". Scarlet answered.

"The accused claimed his war to separate the North from the Empire was triggered over accusations that the recent mining project set up between the Ministry of Mining and Ministry of Finance would seize the silver and diamond reserves recently discovered in the North back to the capital and none of it being distributed to the Northerners themselves, is this claim true?" Bach asked Scarlet.

"Objection! This witness is from neither the Ministry of Mining or Ministry of Finance! Her opinion is worthless!", Numa objected.

Judge Gray sighed. "Now, Mr. Bach, the accused has brought up a valid point. If that question is to be allowed, you'll need to demonstrate her knowledge on these issues more to the court". He said. "The accused's objection is sustained.

Bach rolled his eyes, thinking Judge Gray would let him question away after Bach believed that Numa had demonstrated transparently he is a jackass with no legal skill.

"Very well. Scarlet, the mining project may have been a joint venture between two ministries you are not apart of, but what certainly it would have need coordination with the Tesaks who ruled the North who would have gone through your channels. Is that correct?" Bach asked.

"That is correct. The Ministry of Public Administration was aware of the joint-venture and it was known by the Tesaks. All documents or copies of documents concerning the project made their way through the Ministry of Public Administration in order for us to assist the Tesaks in implementing the project. They were also reviewed to make sure they complied with all laws and regulations by the Crown". Scarlet answered.

"Have you personally read any of those documents?"

"I have. I read all of them".

"In any of those documents, did it detail that the Tesaks would get a cut of the profits from the project?" Bach asked.

"It did. The Tesaks would have gotten an 8% cut of the total profits from Northern Mining Project."

"So would you say that the accused claim that the North wouldn't have seen any of the profits as inaccurate?" Bach asked.

Scarlet then thought for a moment, for she was a woman of integrity, trying to do the right thing. She of course regarded Numa as a criminal and a horrible man above all, but nothing in the documents guaranteed the profits the Tesaks received would have gone to improving the North. It most likely would have gone in their personal coffers, and stayed there.

"To be honest, I don't think I'm qualified to make such a statement in regards to confirming or denying the accuracy of the accused's claim", Scarlet answered reluctantly.

A brief look of shock broke out across Bach's face. This woman was supposed to side with him! Nevertheless, she shrugged it off, Numa will have his one victory before he burying him with the countless other witnesses he will bring forth. From across the courtroom, Numa grinned with perverse glee. These Imperial lawyers and judges overestimated their ability to get him even when the court was rigged against him.

As for the rest of Bach's questioning, it mostly went into specifics about things such as the locations of the proposed mining sites, how much the project would cost, how much people would be involved, and how long it would take to prepare the sites for mining. Ultimately, this line of questioning started to bore Numa and confirmed his suspicions this trial was a sham, even he knew most of the questions Bach was asking Scarlet was completely irrelevant to the charges he was brought up on, yet the judges were allowing this. After about 20 minutes of Bach questioning Scarlet, the defense was allowed to begin its cross-examination. Numa had a few questions for Scarlet.

"Alright you faceless bureaucrat, you answered a lot of questions about the North-", Numa began before Judge Gray chastised him for "calling her names". Numa then continued.

"Have you ever personally met the Tesaks?"

"No I have not", Scarlet answered.

"Have you ever even been to the North?", asked Numa.

"No I have not".

"Are you aware that the Tesaks live in the most luxurious home in God's Frost, it's a shithole compared to the nice places here, but a mansion to what most northerners live in?"

Judge Gray interjected again condemning Numa for using crude language such as "shithole".

"I am sure the Tesaks lived in a relatively nice home while most Northerners did not", Scarlet answered.

"As a member of the Ministry of Public Administration, are you aware of any projects the Tesaks proposed that would benefit the common people of the North?",

Scarlet sighed. "I do not know of any such proposals".

Numa smirked. He was about to turn this prosecution witness against the prosecution.

"Do you know of any investments the Tesaks personally made in regards to what little existing infrastructure exists in the North?"

"I do not know any such investments".

"In any of the documents regarding the mining proposals, did it state that the Tesaks 8% share of the profits had to be used to build up The North?", Numa pressed.

"None of the documents specified the Tesaks had to use the money for building new infrastructure or improving existing ones", Scarlet reluctantly answered.

"So in effect, the Tesaks could just horde whatever money came their way from the Imperial bureaucrats and overlords?"

"T-they, they could", Scarlet answered, noticeably irritated she was forced to answer a loaded question. But deep down she knew that despite Numa being a horrible man, the Northerners did have legitimate grievances about the mining project.

"In any of the documents regarding the Imperials' desire to mine in the North, did they say they would train local Northerners to mine, or would they bring in labor from outside the North to mine for the silver and diamonds?", Numa asked.

"The documents in that regard stated the Ministry of Mining would bring already trained miners throughout the Empire to be brought to the North and mine at the sites. The miners would mine there for four months before rotating. There would be three rotations a year", Scarlet explained.

"Why wouldn't the Ministry of Mining train Northerners to mine these deposits?"

"You would have to ask someone from the Ministry of Mining, but from what I gathered from the documents they had a few concerns. Firstly, the cost of training new Northern miners, and the fact many of the deposits were found in territories controlled by existing tribal lands and lands the Northerners revered", Scarlet revealed, feeling uncomfortable.

"Do you agree with the assessment that the Northerners had legitimate reasons to oppose Imperial mining in the North, stemming from mining on land not owned by the Empire and that the Northerners had no reason to believe they would reap the benefits of Imperials mining in their lands?" Numa pressed.

Scarlet thought for a moment. She really did not want to say "Yes", to this question but it was true, and she swore to tell the truth.

"I do". She finally said.

At that moment, Bach look shocked, he then glared angrily at her as Numa turned around to address the courtroom in a gloating fashion.

"You heard it! The Imperials wanted to rob our lands with non-Northerners while only giving a tiny cut to their lackeys who would hoard what little wealth they got out of it to themselves, not give back to the Northern people. Our rebellion was justified!", He boasted loudly.

"That's enough Mr. Seika, do you have any more questions for this witness?", asked Judge Gray.

"No more questions, let this fool who calls himself a lawyer bring on the next witness", Numa responded.

Bach then began to grind his teeth at Numa's insolence. Bach overestimated himself in trying to completely ruin the narrative put forward by Numa that his rebellion was just. He also clearly underestimated Numa's ability to cross-examine. Numa exposed that the proposed mining project in the North would in fact, bring no benefits to the Northern people themselves. Nevertheless this was irrelevant, insurrection and separation from the Empire were still crimes no matter how legitimate those who carry out believe it to be, and that was all Bach needed to prove now.

The trial of Numa brought up a bit of publicity within the Empire and the Capital known as the Imperial City. However, there were other things that drew the eyes of those hostile to the Empire. Its officials and military leaders drew the vengeful gaze of the Revolutionary Army, particularly its newly-formed black ops and assassination unit, Night Raid.

One Saturday night, one Imperial general, Nouken came home to his penthouse partially intoxicated after night of drinking with his men. Nouken was popular with his men as he allowed them to take women from the villages he pillaged as prizes. Apart from Esdeath being charged with leading the invasion force, Nouken and his men were ordered to the border of the Northern frontier to fend of any counter-incursions from the Northern rebels. Nouken however, took the opportunity to lead his own incursions into the North to pillage and plunder entire villages for loot and women.

Nouken was initially approached with invading the North itself, but declined. As a man with ancestry from the southern tribes he would put it "I hate the fucking cold, I hate the fucking snow". Reinforcing the frontier was much more lenient than invading the heart of the North as it was not as cold and not as snowy during that time of year, and of hearing tales of the beauty of Northern women, he also vowed to take one as a concubine, having been denied a polygamy permit.

During one of his raids into the north, he found such a northern beauty, Minea. Minea was a thin girl with long legs and large breasts of 18 with fair skin, light gray eyes, and long purple hair with two long bangs in the front and long ponytail in the back. Nouken and his men murdered her mother, father, and younger brother. Ever since finding her, she became his favorite concubine after his primary one, Sabiha.

Like Nouken, Sabiha was descended from the southern tribes. She was buxom with tan skin, long legs with thick thighs, wide hips an hourglass belly. Her breasts were not particularly big or small and her hair is as black as night. Sabiha is also a woman of 25 years, having met Nouken several years prior after he and his men fended off a danger beast raid in her home village in the South. Sabiha was moments from being killed by a giant scorpion until Nouken came by and slew the beast after a minute-long fight. After that, she instantly fell for him.

As for Nouken himself, he was tan like most Southerners, but had platinum blond hair. His particular style was shoulder-length hair and ran along the back of his head. His eyes were yellow like a snake's. Like most powerful generals, he was built like a fortress, with well-defined abs, pecks, biceps and thighs. Nouken stood at 6'2 and was 29 years old. He had a long face and chiseled jaw. When in uniform, he wore white pants with a standard general's cloak. However, unique to his look, he left his chest mostly exposed wearing only black studded leather thongs that wrapped around his neck and went down to his belt. At the center of his chest, the leather held up a golden male-symbol. On his shoulders, he wore two large reinforced shoulder-guards. Baffling to most, the particular ones he wore were considered obsolete over two centuries ago.

When he came home, he went right up to his bedroom. His bedroom was fairly large and had nice view of the city from its nicely sized balcony. At the center of his room was a large circular bed surrounded by three large pillars holding up the ceiling. Along the floors there were colorful mattresses and pillows with candles carefully place about. His 10 concubines awaited him.

Nouken was in no mood for an orgy, but still wanted to take two of them to bed. He of course chose Minea and Sabiha. He had half the concubines help him out of his uniform and the other half help Minea out of her kimono. He permitted Sabiha to keep hers on. When he and Minea were completely stripped, he ordered the rest out, they would sleep in his other large room on the other side of his penthouse. When they were out, the three of them went to the bed and engaged in his desired passions, which mostly involved him trying out different sex positions with Minea as Sabiha merely kissed and groped her.

Minea eventually began to take it all with stride. For the longest time she felt like a prisoner of his, she loathed when he used her body for his own pleasure. She also hated how he would single her out to be stripped and used by his other concubines. Minea would often cry afterward, but hold back her tears until she was assure everyone else was asleep. This man took everything from her. Her home, her family, her virginity, and her dignity. But this was her way of life now, it was time to become used to it or else she would be miserable for the rest of it. Nevertheless, she prayed one day she would find a way out of it.

Once they finished, the three of them went to bed. Tears still fell from Minea's eyes, but only a few. She then tried to sleep. It took awhile for her to become tired. Normally it wouldn't be, as he usually preferred to be rough with her which would tire her out, but his drunkenness interestingly made him more gentle with her than he usually was. Still she lay there awake, until her eyes became somewhat heavy and began to nod in and out.

As she began to sleep she heard some clinging outside. She took a brief glance, but saw nothing and tried to back asleep. About a minute later, she heard footfalls coming from the balcony. Minea opened her eyes. As soon as she did, they widened and cupped her mouth, gasping in horror. At the balcony stood a dark, hooded figure. The figure then drew katana and began to approach. Minea then screamed in terror. Her cries awakened Sabiha and Nouken. The figure accelerated their advanced, they seemed to be going right for Nouken.

"What the hell?!", he yelled. Nouken sprang right out of bed, either unconcerned or forgotten he was completely naked. "Minea, Sabiha, get back!", he yelled.

Minea then ran to the corner of the room and merely looked on in horror. Tears of terror rolled down her face. Who was this? Why did this person want to kill them, would this person kill her too? Sabiha reached for dagger she kept on the night table beside her and charged the figure.

"Not a target", the figure said in a cold, feminine tone. The figure then tripped Sabiha and then rammed the hilt of its katana into her head, knocking her out. Sabiha's dagger then flew and landed a few feet before Minea who flinched at it.

"Sabiha!" Yelled Nouken.

Sabiha's distraction gave him enough time to reach for his own sword which he left on his wardrobe. Nevertheless his speed was not quick enough. Nouken drew his sword and went to strike at the figure, but the figure then kicked him right in his exposed family jewels. He yelled out in pain trying to re-grip his sword, but then the figure yelled "Rest in pieces!", clearly in a female voice and made a swift blow with the blade striking all the way down to his groin.

Nouken just stood there. This assassin got him. One strike from a blade was nothing, but something else was going on. Although he bled, he felt a burning sensation overcome his entire body, but felt particularly hot were he was struck. His breathing became heavy and he then felt light headed. Before his eyes, hallucinations of those he killed began to glare at him. What was this? _What is happening to me!_ He thought to himself as he felt death's imminent approach.

Still in the corner, Minea looked on in horror, having screamed when the assassin struck him. She then became confused and terrified watching him just stand there. Although it was hard to see, it appeared black marks were forming around his body, as they did, he began to yell out in pain. After about a minute, Nouken then fell to the ground, he was clearly dead. The assassin just stood there for minute, looking down at him. After a minute, she put her sword away. The assassin then appeared to make her way back to the balcony.

Minea then gasped loudly. So loudly, the assassin then looked around to see her. Minea became overcome with dread as she saw the assassins face. It was a young girl in her mid to late teens with long black hair that came down to her knees, and bloody red eyes. The girl slowly began to walk over to her.

 _Oh god! She's going to kill me!_ Minea thought. She closed her eyes in terror, sweating profusely. Minea even began to wet herself in fear as she begged allowed for her life.

"No! Please!", she yelled out. Minea then saw the dagger that landed near her. In a desperate attempt, she leaped for it, but the assassin kicked out of the way. Minea screamed when she did.

"No! I don't want to die!", Minea cried out.

Miraculously the assassin stopped before her, with her boots just touching the puddle she made.

"Are you okay?", the assassin asked.

Minea then became confused. Why was this assassin asking this?

"Y-you're, you're not going to kill me?", Minea asked.

"Not a target", the girl answered. "Are you here against your will?"

Minea then thought for a moment. Was this some kind of trick? There's no way this girl came all this way just to save her. Minea still shook, but she concluded nothing worse could happen to her if she told the truth.

"Yes!, he killed my family then turned me into his sex slave!" Minea admitted.

"Well, you're free now", the girl said.

Minea was confused. What did this girl want?

"Why did you kill Nouken?" Minea asked.

"Because I was ordered to. Nouken was marked for his crimes against the people." The girl answered.

 _This girl is a rebel!_ Minea thought to herself. Even before Numa rose the North in rebellion to separate from the Empire, there was word a greater rebellion was breaking out all over the Empire to topple the monarchy, and more importantly, Prime Minister Honest who the people held responsible for their suffering. Nouken would sometimes go on and on about he would bring further glory to his name by doing his part in crushing the Revolutionary Army.

"Will you be okay?", the girl asked.

"I can't stay here", Minea answered.

The assassin paused for moment. It seemed as if she was thinking of something.

"I can get you out of the city and take you to where the Revolutionary Army shelters victims, but I cannot take you back to base", the assassin answered.

The fear and terror Minea felt then disappeared and she welcomed the sensation of relief she began to feel.

"Please..." Minea whimpered.

"Are there others?" The assassin asked.

Minea thought about the others. She didn't know if the other concubines except for Sabiha were taken in against their will, but by now, all of them except for herself appeared to genuinely love their master.

"The rest loved him", Minea answered.

"Get dressed", the assassin commanded.

Minea then nodded and then got up from the corner and went over to where she was disrobed by the other concubines. On the floor, she found her kimono and put it back on. On the balcony, the assassin went over to the balustrade. She apparently climbed up using a grappling hook attached to a rope. Minea wasn't the best at climbing, but then again, she was taller than this assassin by several inches, and she wondered if her bust would affect the assassin's ability to climb if she carried her down.

"Can you climb?", the assassin asked.

Minea then looked at the rope, not sure if she should attempt by herself or not.

"Um, not really...", Minea answered honestly.

"Then hold on to me as tight as you can", the assassin commanded.

Minea was about to question the decision, but if the assassin was confident in their abilities, it was not her place to question. The assassin then stood up against the balustrade. Minea then put one of her legs up on it as she wrapped her arms around the assassin's torso, just under her arms. The assassin then helped Minea wrap her legs around her waist. Minea then looked down to the street below. They were about four stories off the ground, a fall that could kill them. Minea began to worry again. The assassin checked to see if the hook was secure, which it was after tying it around one the balustrade. Having re-collected the rope, the assassin climbed up on the edge as Minea held on tight. The Assassin then dropped the rope back down to the ground in one hand while securing the rope she still had in the other.

"Don't scream", the assassin commanded.

"I won't", Minea said.

"Good".

And with that, the assassin jumped from the roof, with the two of them swinging from the rope as they descended. Minea gasped in shock as it happened, her heart pounding with anxiety. The assassin's boots impacted at the side of the building. What Minea didn't realize was this assassin was wearing a device that allowed her to scale down the rope even quicker as opposed to merely climbing down as Minea assumed the assassin would have done. Whoever this assassin was, she was truly a professional and not just some hired cutthroat from off the street. Minea should have guessed as much from the weapon she wielded. A blade coated in a poison that marks and kills the body it strikes within a minute. Nouken often talked about "Imperial Arms", super weapons made by the First Emperor over 1,000 years ago that were capable of killing foes in unimaginable ways. Was this blade the assassin wielded one of them? Within 20 seconds they were off the building and on to the street. Once again, Minea felt relief.

"I'm glad that's over", commented Minea.

"We don't have time to talk, just keep close and follow me", the assassin said.

And with that, the assassin and the concubine were off into the night, where Minea would wake up next morning, she did not know. Whoever this girl was, she was thankful she got her out of this situation. But soon, the Empire would learn of Nouken's death, and who knew who they would react with one of their generals killed in his own home with some sort wicked weapon, right in the very heart of the Empire, mere miles away from where the Emperor himself slept at night.


	5. Chapter 4: Kill The Trial (Part 2)

As the weeks passed on, several other Imperial Army leaders also met their end in the capital. Two events were taking place simultaneously in the Capital. The killing of Imperial Army leaders, and the trial of Numa. However upon investigation, the two events were not connected.

As Numa's trial went on, the general who brought him down finally got her turn to testify at the rebel tyrant's trial. Esdeath was eager for this day, it was now on her to do her part in bringing Numa to justice, not by defeating him in war, but by defeating him in the Imperial court of law. Sometime after her friend Scarlet testified, the two met up and discussed her testimony, with Scarlet regretting hers as being more effective for Numa's defense than it was for the prosecution. Esdeath comforted her by assuring that because she had personally witnessed Numa and his men's atrocities, there was no way Numa could convincingly dispute her account, and promised she would make sure of it just as hard for the both of them. Scarlet then sought to see Esdeath testify, which Esdeath agreed to.

Finally, that day came, Esdeath's only regret was, since her time to testify would have been close to when Percii finished his daily lesson with Run, she paid to have it extended until the trial concluded. Luckily, Run refused and offered that after his lesson, he would take Percii out to do some things such as having lunch and maybe visit a few places. Esdeath very much appreciated Run's offer and took him up on it. She was also pleased Run was as good to Percii as she was.

When called to testify, Esdeath approached the stand with confidence, when asked to swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, she gave out a poised "I do". Esdeath then took a seat at the stand. But from across from her, she felt Numa's eyes. They did not feel angry or glaring, they felt like they were ogling her, she could sense his lust eyeing her up. It was not a lust of passion, but a lust of hatred. Numa already unwittingly confessed to having his way with several women from tribes and clans his own clan and its allies subjugated, and with this feeling, it was clear he wanted to have his way with her too. Fortunately though, he was not in a position to do so.

"What is your name?", Bach asked after Esdeath took the stand.

"Esdeath of the clan Partas", Esdeath answered.

"And what is your date of birth?"

"February 29, 1002".

"And you are a General in the Imperial Army?"

"I am".

"And the 17th of January, is the date your army entered the North to suppress the rebellion of Numa Seika?"

"That is correct".

"Objection! This witness is a liar! There is no way she could have beaten me! A _woman_ , beating me, Numa Seika the Hero and Crown-Prince of the North? Don't make me laugh... Just look at her! She doesn't look like a general at all! She's dressed like a tart! I bet she is one too!" Numa angrily interjected.

"Silence!" Judge Gray shot back banging on his garvel.

At the back of the room, Scarlet rolled her eyes and sighed in disgust. _How dare he disrespect General Esdeath like that... Then again, Numa hasn't shown the Judges any respect either, how loathsome of him_. Scarlet thought to herself.

"Mr. Seika, as explained to you before, the credibility of a witness is for the court to decide, not you. The Imperial Army has provided ample documentary evidence that General Esdeath lead the military campaign in the North. If you interrupt with personal insults against this witness again, you will be removed from the court". Judge Gray warned. He then nodded at Bach to continue.

As for Esdeath, Numa's outburst didn't bother her. She expected nothing less from a detestable person such as Numa. Esdeath however was a bit sensitive to his accusations of her being a loose woman. She knew from there and then the testimony she would give would be a difficult one to deliver. She could already feel him undressing her with his eyes looking at her with hate and lust.

"In several reports authored by you and your commanders, you have detailed several war crimes committed by Numa Seika and his commanders, the first of which found the Tesaks and their household found murdered about a week's walk from God's Frost where the road splits off, correct?"

"Yes. That is the first atrocity my men and I personally witnessed, but even before then there were others. After liberating some of the lands they had occupied from other clans, members of those clans approached our troops providing evidence of crimes committed before the Imperial Army had arrived in the North." Esdeath answered.

"We'll come back to that, but in your report, your men found 57 bodies at the scene including those of the Tesaks, correct?"

"Correct. Most of the bodies were mutilated, but after gathering and counting them, we estimated about 49 bodies belonging to the Tesak household were murdered and then mutilated". Answered Esdeath.

"The report states the mutilated bodies were positioned in away that they spelled out a message that read 'Imperials, be warned!', is that correct?"

"Yes, that is correct, it was one of the most sickening sights I ever came across", Esdeath said with sincerity.

"It also says here the bodies of Niilo Tesak, his wife Nola Tesak, his daughter Riina, his sons, Domeric, Balder, Elof, and two concubines later identified as Ruuta and Senja were left intact. They had their clothes removed, were doused in water and left to freeze to death, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is correct. We suspected as much when we found them. Their bodies were so cold, parts of their flesh and even some of their fingers broke off when we removed them. They had no external injuries, but by the time we found them it would have been impossible to determine if they had. After we took God's Frost we performed autopsies on the bodies and determined all of them had died from hypothermia".

"In your judgment, who was responsible for this crime?" asked Bach.

"Without question, the accused, Numa Seika. We found several witnesses who confirmed both he and his men partook in this crime". Esdeath answered. After she answered she noticed Numa licked his lips, probably fantasizing about using her and then subjecting her to such a fate if she displeased him.

From the courtroom audience, Scarlet noticed the way Numa looked at Esdeath and it revolted her. She too, saw the lust and hatred in his eyes. But beneath that, she sensed fury. He knew in the eyes of most people, the title "Hero of the North" may be hard to apply to someone who murdered people in such a fashion, no matter the context. For that reason, she gave a brief and faint smile.

The evidence Esdeath brought forth was arguably the most crucial to the prosecution and trial as a whole. In fact, her testimony took days to deliver, detailing from when she first entered the North to when she left. Esdeath was questioned on everything, from the details of specific battles, her methodology in documenting other crimes reported by the Northerners, how she conducted the autopsies, and her account of the battle of God's Frost which lead to some of the most tense moments of her testimony.

"It says here, after you routed the Northern force, a giant ice spike was fired and hit a building close to the accused who was riding a mammoth which then collapsed on him, is that correct?" Bach asked.

"That is correct", Esdeath answered.

From his seat, a look of interest went across Numa's face.

 _Aha! This big-breasted slut just admitted she couldn't defeat me in battle! Her men arrested me when I couldn't defend myself! What a coward!_ Numa arrogantly thought to himself. He now couldn't wait to cross examine Esdeath, he bet he could expose her as a fraud and therefore, her entire testimony would be thrown out as a result. If he could do this, then there is no one the prosecution could set up against him. Not even his own brother who's own turn to testify he bitterly awaited.

"Now, going down the report it says you found a wounded boy named Percii just outside of the temple where the last of the accused's men were holed up. And it says here he was also a slave. Is that correct?" Bach asked.

"Both of those are correct", Esdeath answered.

"It says after you breached the temple, one of the accused's men you identified as 'Rattias' admitted to harming the boy before he tried to strike at you. Is that correct?" Bach asked.

"He specifically admitted to leaving him outside the temple to die. Rattias called Percii a monster and accused him of being cursed, assigning responsibility for their loss. He did not admit to whipping the boy, because Percii did not inform me he had been whipped until after I had killed Rattias and exited the temple". Esdeath answered.

Bach then skipped a few pages of the report.

"It says here after you discovered Percii had been flogged by the accused and his men, you and your subordinate Nyau undressed Percii and found six lacerations on Percii's back and 12 other serious wounds on his back. You also found nine wounds found on his buttocks which you attribute to flogging. Is that correct?"

"All of that is correct", Esdeath answered.

"The report reads you then bathed Percii and treated his wounds. You also ordered your men to find all slaves who were reportedly flogged by the accused and gave them similar treatment. You found a total of 37 of them, including 7 children younger than 13, is that correct?"

Esdeath was silent for a moment. This part of the testimony was truly the most discomforting to her, even more so than Numa's outbursts accusing her of being a "tart". The one thing she hated the most about war was its horrific impact on children. Whether children die in massacres, end up enslaved, end up fighting as child-soldiers, or even being orphaned as a result of war, it was all equally horrible to Esdeath. Tears began to form in her eyes thinking about finding Percii and the other children who were brutalized by Numa and his men. The worse thing was, two of the slaves she found later died from their wounds. Both of them were children. A little blonde girl named Siggy, and a little blue-haired boy named Bjorn. When Esdeath's three beasts informed her of their deaths, she cried for nearly an hour.

"That is correct...", Esdeath said solemnly.

"It further states that two of the slaves later succumbed to their wounds. Both of them children. A girl named Siggy age 11 and a boy named Bjorn age 12. Is that correct?"

Esdeath felt pain. She knew that was going to be the follow up question. She then fought to hold back tears.

"Yes... it's correct", she answered. Despite her best efforts, one tear did roll down the side of her face. From the audience, Scarlet noticed and shared a brief moment of grief for her friend.

"Poor Esdeath..." Scarlet whispered.

From his seat however, Numa grinned with glee. This woman who claimed to have bested him in battle had a weakness. She actually felt sorry she lost a couple of kids she didn't even know? How could this woman call herself a general then? War without death is like water without wetness, especially civilian deaths. He could not wait to expose this fraud for who she was. He even doubted she had ice powers. Still, he took a perverse sensation in her emotional pain.

"Do you believe wholeheartedly that the accused is responsible for the deaths of these two children and the suffering of the other slaves?" Bach asked.

Esdeath took a moment to collect herself before answering.

"He might not have personally killed them, but he enslaved them, he might not have personally inflicted every wound on them, but he did whip most if not all of them at some point. He allowed his underlings to do it. He did not even bother to administer medical aid when it was necessary. Whether through negligence at the least or through deliberate means, at the worst. I believe wholeheartedly that he is responsible for their pain, suffering and ultimate deaths", Esdeath answered. Another tear fell, this time from her other eye. Her cheeks began to turn pink.

The rest of the trial session included Bach asking more about the crimes of Numa and his subordinates. This trend would follow for the next few days before Numa finally got the chance to cross-examine Esdeath. The night before Esdeath was set to be cross-examined, Scarlet warned her he is pretty good at asking the right questions (at least in her instance) but that should not discourage her, especially that Esdeath's testimony was pretty effective. Esdeath thanked Scarlet and felt that if Numa couldn't beat her in war, he can't beat her in court.

The next day came and Numa appeared eager as ever to have his turn at questioning Esdeath. Just before the judges entered, Numa and his counsel, Rugi appeared to be arguing amongst themselves on how best to question her. As Numa insisted he did not want Rugi's help and demanded he ask the questions. Rugi then relented. He appeared disinterested in helping his client. How could he be interested, if his client didn't even want his help. Not long after, the judges entered, and the cross-examination began after Esdeath took her seat on the stand again. Numa, then grinning got up and began to ask away.

"So, Esdeath... you say you are a general in the Imperial Army, yes?" Numa asked.

Esdeath didn't know where he was going but went along with it.

"Yes, I am a general in the Imperial Army", she answered.

"How long have you been a general?" he asked.

"Since I was 18", Esdeath answered.

"How did you become a general?"

"By my combined efforts in the academy and efforts on the field".

Numa then gave an insolent smile as if he had a "gotcha" question ready.

"So tell me, Esdeath; Did you kill the right men to become a general, or did you have to fuck the right men to become a general?". Numa brazenly asked.

As soon as he finished asking the question, the room erupted into people hooting and balking at the question with "ahs" and "ohs" filling the courtroom. Esdeath flushed at the question and cupped her mouth as her eyes widened, she was shocked and was not expecting that, even from him.

From the audience, Scarlet audibly gasped at the remark. Her brief shock then turned into anger and disgust as she made a sound that was a cross between a "tsk" and an "ugh". She looked over at Esdeath and noted her displeasure.

"How dare he ask such an insolent question?!" Scarlet grumbled. "General Esdeath would never sleep her way to the top!" She continued to protest.

Judge Gray banged his gavel and then called for order. It took several moments for the clamoring in the room to stop.

"Mr. Seika, such a question is not only irrelevant to the matter at hand, it is above all, completely out-of-line. In all the cases I have presided over, I have never heard such a distasteful question asked to witness as this one. The General's sexual behavior is of no relevance to the evidence she has brought forth. If you inquire about it again, your cross-examination will end. Have I made myself clear?" Judge Gray spoke with disgust dripping from his words.

"This woman is a -", Numa tried to get out.

"This woman is a witness. You will ask another question so long as it is relevant. Do you understand?!" Judge Gray rebuffed, not having any of it.

Numa was about to continue his protest, but his counsel, Rugi, grabbed his arm and shot him a look that what he was doing was futile. Numa then looked back at the Judge. Now he was the one who was clearly angry, nearly grinding his teeth visibly.

"So be it..." Numa answered.

"Good". Judge Gray said. "General, you may ignore the previous question", he said to Esdeath.

Numa then took a deep breath and then looked around the courtroom before looking back at Esdeath.

 _Look at the way this so-called "court" defended her like that! They didn't even deny it. They know this woman is nothing more than a whore in a pretty uniform, and if I can't expose her asking about how many men she fucked, I know another way to prove it!_ Numa thought to himself.

"Very well, 'General', now tell me... in your opening statement where you swore to tell the truth, you said you were of the Partas Clan, correct?" Numa asked.

"That is correct, I am of the Partas Clan", Esdeath answered.

An eager shot rang out across Numa's face.

"Aha!" Numa yelled before looking around the courtroom. "This woman is a fraud! Oh sure, she has the Partas clan insignia on her uniform, but guess what?! Everyone in the North knows the entire Partas clan was wiped out by another clan over 10 years ago! There were no survivors! Why don't you tell us who you really are?! Probably some back-alley slut from-"

Judge Gray put an end to it by banging on the gravel. "Enough, Mr. Seika, we get the point. This is your first warning I will issue you in regards to insulting the witness in this session." Judge Gray said firmly. Murmuring began to erupt across the courtroom. From her seat, Scarlet grew increasingly irritated with Numa's sexist insults against her dear friend.

"Your honor, do I really have to answer that question, it's no more relevant than the other question he asked..." Esdeath asked.

Before Judge Gray could answer Bach shot up from his seat to interject.

"Your honor, I further object. While it was true the Partas clan was wiped out by unknown assailants, General Esdeath was in fact, the sole survivor of the Partas clan who escaped the massacre because she was out hunting when it happened, she was then sheltered by the Fridur tribe for a little over a year before coming here, to the capital. We have documented evidence to back this up". Bach spoke.

"Very well, your objection is sustained", Judge Gray answered.

Numa then began to grow even more irritated. It seems everywhere he tried to get her, they had a convenient way to nullify his questioning. First he couldn't ask her about the number of men she fucked in order to become a general, and now they had an excuse that defied what was known to him, she "happened" to be the sole survivor of a massacre in which it was believed everyone died in. Nevertheless, if this woman was a Northerner like him, but she sided against the North, her army supposedly had a high percentage of Northern men fighting in it as well. He'd get to the bottom of this.

"Alright, Esdeath. I for one refuse to recognize you as a general, as I believe if you really are a general, then you acquired the rank through means I am not allowed to mention. I also don't believe you are the sole survivor of the Partas Clan. But I do believe you are Northerner. No non-Northern woman can make me lust for her. Were you born in the North?" Numa asked.

From the stand. Scarlet frowned and "ughed" at Numa's remark.

 _At least that creep is honest about wanting to get in her skirt. Still, how dare he objectify her like that!_ Scarlet thought to herself.

"I was born in the North. No member of the Partas clan was born anywhere else", Esdeath answered.

"And as a Northerner, you are loyal to the North, correct?", he asked.

"As a soldier of the Empire, I am loyal to the Empire before anything else".

"And the price of such 'loyalty' as you put it? You got a comfy position which you acquired most likely through sleazy means, and because of that you were willing to take up arms against your homeland in favor of an aggressor! Care to explain that to everyone here?!" He asked angrily.

Muttering then broke out amongst the crowd.

"Mr. Seika, are you going to ask this witness questions in regards to the evidence she has presented, or are you just going to keep trying to find underhanded ways to delegitimize her credibility as a person?"Judge Gray asked.

"I already have! As long as this harlot keeps lying about who she is and as long as this so-called 'court' keeps covering for her lies, I will fight tooth and nail to expose it!" Numa answered boldly.

"Mr. Seika, that is the second time you have insulted the witness, I have already warned you once, and I will warn you one last time not to do so again, or your cross-examination will end. You're already risking it by not addressing the evidence", Gray responded.

"When I expose this so-called "witness" as a fraud, the so-called evidence will falter as well. There will be no need for me to refute it!" Numa shot back.

"So you do not intend to ask this witness about the evidence? I will remind you of her testimony has lasted for days, and you will be provided the same amount of time to question this witness, but only if you ask questions relevant to the evidence and do not behave in a disorderly fashion." Judge Gray said to Numa.

"Your Honor, if I may, I would like to address the accussed's assertions about me and my character", Esdeath said raising her hand, clearly having enough of Numa's antics.

The Judge thought for a few seconds.

"Proceed, General".

 _Give him hell, Esdeath_. Scarlet thought to herself with her frown turning it into a smile.

"In my testimony, I have demonstrated the accused, Numa Seika is a man undeserving of the title 'Hero of the North'. He instigated a coup against the legal, provincial government and raised the North in rebellion against the Empire. He and his men raped women, killed civilians, enslaved those he subjugated, and tortured children and then sits their insulting my moral character. After my clan was massacred, I was taken in by the Fridur tribe and had my worldview change. After a year, I joined the academy and rose through the ranks, proving myself in battle. I did this in the battle for God's Frost. He believes I am a loose woman who slept her way to the top. The Imperial Army is the strongest, professional standing military force in the world. Do you believe they would let a loose woman become a general just by sleeping with the right men? Would a loose woman be able to lead an army of 100,000 men into combat, put down your rebellion, and defeat you?!" Esdeath asked with a hint of aggressive vigor.

"Of course not! You didn't defeat me! You admitted it yourself, you had your men arrest me when I was unconscious! Did you forget that, you lying whore?!" Numa snapped back with fury.

"Mr. Seika, that is the third time you have insulted this witness, despite warnings not to do so again. We will now follow through and put an end to your cross-examination", Judge Gray firmly interjected.

"This is a rigged court! I am exposing this woman and I am exposing you! That is why you are preventing me from continuing!" Numa argued.

It was in the back of the room as Numa tried to argue with Judge Gray that Scarlet's smile grew. Whether he realized it or not, Numa just tied the noose around his own neck in rendering himself unable to challenge the evidence Esdeath brought up. She could not imagine him finding an easy way out of this even if he could refute the testimony of every other witness (although Esdeath's evidence mainly corroborated other witnesses' accounts of Numa and the crimes committed by his men).

As for Esdeath, she felt relieved. She dreaded the aspect of being questioned by Numa for days even with the court blocking most of his crude questioning. She hoped to no longer feel his gaze of hate and lust upon her. But she knew that soon, the day his victims would gain justice would come and she was glad to assist.

The trial continued for the next few weeks as victims of Numa and his men began their testimonies. Soon, it would be Percii's turn to testify. Something he became nervous about when learned the details. He would sit on a bench by himself, and answer the questions asked of him by both the judge, and Numa when cross examined. Apart from being in the crowd to watch him, Esdeath could not be beside him to support him as he gave his testimony. Esdeath began to worry if Percii became too reliant on her for support. While in the capital, Esdeath would cuddle with Percii at night and he would sleep in her bed with her. This proved to be therapeutic for him, as his mood improved and his happiness increased. Esdeath would wake up and find him smiling in his sleep. Unbeknownst to her, he would often fall asleep after her. Before he would fall asleep, he would often just look at her and admire her beauty and kindness, thanking the gods that she saved him.

"Tomorrow is your big day in court", Esdeath said to Percii as she slipped a pair of green pajamas on him. Esdeath herself was already prepared for bed wearing her light blue, near-transparent nightgown. She then looked Percii in the eye. Esdeath could tell Percii was not looking forward to testifying tomorrow.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"I'm, I'm scared", admitted Percii.

After dressing him, Esdeath picked him up and sat on the bed, placing the boy in her lap. She then began to play with his hair as she held him.

"It's okay. He won't be able to hurt you. You'll be surrounded by hundreds of people who will protect you, including me", Esdeath said in a reassuring tone.

"But why can't you come up with me?" Inquired Percii.

"Because the rules of the court state only an interpreter may accompany a witness to the stand. You don't need an interpreter. But you need to be brave. If you do, I'll buy you a nice dinner and get you one thing you really want". Esdeath said to Percii.

"Y-you, you promise?" Percii asked.

Esdeath then held his four-fingered hand with both of hers.

"I promise", she said to him.

Esdeath then set him down for a minute before climbing into bed with him. She wrapped her arms around him and began to snuggle him.

"Esdeath..." Percii said somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes, Percii?"

"Do you love me?" Percii asked sounding somewhat desperate.

Esdeath then turned Percii to face her. She then positioned herself above Percii, looking down at him with a smile. Percii looked up at her confused, but did so slowly, taking a brief second or two beginning his gaze with her breasts as they hung, still barely rubbing against him. He then looked at her face, feeling relieved with her smile.

"Of course I love you, Percii, why would you think otherwise?" She asked him.

Percii thought for a moment. He could only draw blanks.

"I don't know... it's just that... why?" He asked.

Esdeath then leaned in closer to his face. The closer she got, the more surprised he appeared.

"Because I do. I love all children, Percii. And no matter what anyone says about your deformities, you're still one of the cutest", Esdeath said as she rubbed noses with him. Percii giggled as she did so.

"I love you too, Esdeath!" He finally said in a happy tone.

"Aw, thank you Percii", she said. "Now try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay".

Esdeath then gave him a kiss. Percii blushed with a smile.

"Sweet dreams, Percii", she said to him.

"Good night, Esdeath", he said to her.

Esdeath then rolled over and went to sleep. Percii feel asleep shortly afterwards feeling better about what's to come the next morning. Prior to testifying at Numa's trial, he was able to have early morning lesson with his teacher, Run. Since he began his lessons with Run, Percii's literacy increased significantly. He learned to read each individual letter of the alphabet, and know the different sounds they could make depending on how particular words were spelled. He had now advanced to reading simple words in simple sentences. Occasionally Run would mix it up with teaching him how to spell small words, like "dog", "big", and "mad".

"Alright Percii, can you spell 'hat' for me?" Run pressed to him.

"Uh... hat... h... a... t, hat" Percii hesitantly got out.

"Very good. How about a tricky one, next. Can you spell 'owl' for me?"

Percii thought carefully for a moment. "Um... O... W... I... L...",he answered.

"Nope. Try again", said Run.

"O... W... O... L... L..."

"Let me help, you. There are only 3 letters", Run advised.

Percii put his fist to his chin and thought really hard. For a moment he looked visibly frustrated.

"Um... O... W... L?", Percii guessed.

"Very good! You got it. I'll give you an easier one now. Can you spell 'arm' for me?"

"Arm... A... R... M...", Percii answered.

"Nicely done", complimented Run.

"I keep hearing people say that Esdeath has a special arm, an empire arm..." Percii said.

"Well, it's actually called an imperial arm. And it's quite powerful. It's the source of her ice powers. They call it, the Demon's Blood or Demon's Extract. They say it has made her the most powerful soldier in the Empire, even surpassing General Budo, it's top ranking officer", Run explained.

Percii's face then light up with awe.

"Wow...", Percii said. Percii then thought for a moment. "Do you have an imperial arm?"

Run then smiled.

"As a matter of fact I do. It's called Mastema", answered Run.

"Ma-maste-ma... what does it do?" Percii asked.

"Well, unfortunately it's not as powerful as Esdeath's imperial arm, but it does give me an ability she doesn't have...", Run began.

"What's that?", asked Percii.

"With Mastema, I can fly", he answered.

Percii's eyes lit up.

"Wow! That's amazing... can you take me flying someday? Please?" Percii asked in a cute yet childish tone.

Run then put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll tell you what. If you do a good job in these lessons and Esdeath approves, I'll take you on a flight", Run answered.

Percii then gave Run a tight hug.

"Thank you! You're the best teacher ever!", Percii said, nearly tearing as he did so.

Run hugged him back and then patted him on the head. "Easy now, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves", Run said to Percii.

Their lesson continued for another 20 or so minutes until Esdeath finally showed up and took Percii to the trial. She held his hand every step of the way trying assure him everything would be okay and nothing bad would happen to him. The worse Numa could do is ask him questions and Esdeath told Percii to just answer them honestly and then ask the Judge to clarify if he did not understand the question being asked to him.

They arrived at the courtroom not long after Percii's lesson. The atmosphere was as tense as it normally was However, Percii felt somewhat lucky in the regard that there a few witnesses who could testify against him. Esdeath noticed this, and told him it is better to get things over with rather than drag it out by stalling. After close to 90 minutes, the first two witnesses, who were also slaves at God's Frost completed their testimony and finally, it was Percii's turn to go forward.

"Good luck, Percii", Esdeath told him. "I'm watching", she said. She then kissed him before he went up to the stand.

As he made his way up he could feel two opposing forces tearing at him. One was the love and confidence that Esdeath bestowed upon him, the other was unease caused by what he felt were Numa's eyes with their hateful gaze glaring upon him. But no matter what, he felt that he needed to go on, and he did.

Upon getting up to the stand, the Judge asked for his name, and Percii answered "Percii of God's Frost". Percii was then asked if he swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, to which Percii said he would. Bach then proceeded to ask Percii questions about how he came into contact with Numa. Percii explained he lived at the temple in God's Frost with his father who was a guard at the temple. After taking God's Frost, Numa had him and several other guards executed. Percii added his father was one of the men who was posthumously mutilated along with the others to form the "IMPERIALS BE WARNED!" message Esdeath and her men found on their way to the city. Percii struggled to hold back tears when he explained this part of the testimony. Percii went on to explain after his father was murdered, he was enslaved by Numa along with several other other people. Percii explains he and the other slaves were routinely beaten and whipped by Numa and his men if they felt they did a poor job, or in some instances, more the mere enjoyment by their masters.

"Your honor... If I may... Take off my shirt and show you what his cronies did to me", Percii said.

"Proceed, Percii", approved Judge Gray.

Percii then climbed down from the witness stand and went before the courtroom. He then partially disrobed before the court, sobbing as he did so. He had his back facing the judges. Esdeath noticed that underneath their stoic looks, their eyes showed horror.

"Now Percii... please turn around so the accused may see..." Judge Gray instructed.

"Y-y-yes...", Percii said with tears rolling down his face. When he turned the rest of the court room's audience saw the wounds and gasped in shock as they had with the previous victims. However, since this was a child, they were likely even more horrified.

"He was so mean… So cruel..." Percii said. He then began to cry.

From his desk, Bach rose to the occasion.

"Your honor, we have the sketch General Esdeath made of this boy. The wounds on this back while having since then healed, you will clearly see they match the ones that were sketched here", he said.

Bach then held out sketch which was taken by the bailiff directly to Judge Gray. Gray instructed Percii to show him his back again, and then studied him and the sketch carefully before passing it to the other judges. After each judge viewed the sketch, it was given back to Bach. After each judge viewed it, Percii was permitted to cover himself again. He then went back to the stand and then explained that while he was enslaved, Numa and his men tormented him for his looks. Percii went on to recall that during the Second Battle of God's Frost when Numa's army began to retreat, Percii ran over to Numa and asked for his protection while he was unconscious, but when he couldn't wake him up, Percii sought shelter in the temple. However, it was at the temple where Rattias left him out to die, blaming their loss on him. Percii feared he was going to die until he was shown love and kindness by Esdeath who most likely saved his life by immediately treating his wounds when she became aware of them.

After that, his testimony was finished with Percii being cross-examined by Numa, the part he feared the most. Fortunately for him, Numa did not ask many questions. Instead Numa asked Percii about each individual incident when Rattias whipped him, following up with with "did you tell me about this?". Percii was forced to admit he didn't, because there was no point in doing so. Numa then quipped to the court he could not be responsible for the way his men treated Percii because he was not aware of they were doing. He also further noted that if he was knocked out by one of Esdeath's giant ice spears before Percii could flee to the temple, there was no way he could he held fairly responsible for Rattias leaving him for dead.

Numa then defended the few times he personally whipped Percii arguing by asking Percii the reasons why on each occasion. Percii admitted he did not remember for two of them, for one of them because he brought him cold meat once, which Numa justified he believed was a deliberate prank and the punishment was understandable. Percii denied this was a prank. Percii then recalled on the other occasion he remembered that Numa whipped him because he terrified one of his bed-warmers. In response, Numa threw the bed warmer under the wagon claiming she told him that Percii tried to threaten her, which Percii denied. The last thing Numa asked Percii about was his coming to him at the end of the battle, with Percii admitting he believed the rumors he heard about Esdeath and he initially feared her more than him. Numa let that fact be known to the court in a gloating fashion. He knew Esdeath was there, and rubbed it in. Esdeath knew better, it had a dual-use. Undermine the arguments against his atrocious behavior by claiming if Percii feared Esdeath more than him, he could not have been as cruel as the prosecution made him out to be. It was also meant to spite her, that someone she now loves and cares for, feared her once. Numa closed his cross-examination claiming he was ignorant to his subordinate's actions to Percii (despite it being obvious he was aware of their maltreatment of the slaves in general), and the few times he personally whipped Percii were not unjustified. With that, Percii was excused.

He then quickly made his way to Esdeath sitting in the stands, wrapping his arms around her and buried his head in her chest as he cried. Esdeath held and comforted him.

"It's over now, there's no need to cry. You were brave up there", Esdeath told him.

"I-I was?" Percii asked meekly.

"You were", Esdeath affirmed. She then gave him a kiss. With it, Percci became more relaxed and then fell asleep in her arms after a few minutes.

Later that night, Esdeath honored her agreement to him by buying him a prime rib dinner at a fancy restaurant. When she inquired about what she wanted to buy him, Percii decided against her buying him something. He instead brought up that Run had an Imperial Arm that allowed him to fly, and he wanted her permission to go flying with Run. Esdeath agreed to Percii's request, but became immediately interested in Run's Imperial Arm. Normally only qualified military and government personnel were allowed to use them, but over the years many of these arms became lost, ended up on the black market or trafficked to other countries. Some of them ended up in rebel hands, as Esdeath's own best friend became a rebel and took her weapon with her. Run could never become her new best friend, but if he had an arm, perhaps he could make use of him other than being Percii's teacher, though she still had her own bodyguards, each of whom had their own Imperial Arm.

But another week, another assassination. The Lord Commander of the Capital Guards was found bisected inside one of the barrack's dungeons. In addition to this, the prisoners were freed and several guards were also killed. The total number of people assassinated became nine within the past six weeks. Extra patrols were deployed, but panic started to spread among the city's public despite no non-government residents being killed in these attacks.

After the assassination of the Lord Commander, the Prime Minister called an emergency meeting of the Imperial Security Council. Esdeath served as its deputy crown security adviser. The council formally consisted of the Emperor, the Prime Minister, the Director of Imperial Intelligence, Lord Commander of the Imperial Guard, Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, High Admiral of the Imperial Navy, The ministers of foreign affairs, internal affairs, imperial defense, the Chief Warden of Imperial Security, and two Crown Security advisers (including a deputy one). Although the council meets at least once every other month regularly, emergency meetings have been frequent in regards to the ongoing civil war.

The council met in the palace's council chamber where the Emperor would host his various councils for meetings. It was a surreal room with nice red carpet, sandstone walls and a large circular table capable of seating up to a dozen people. There was a chandelier above the table and candles on the walls. The wall facing the outside had glass-stained windows to allow in sunlight. Portraits of well-known councilors decked the walls to honor their service and for decorum. There were vases in each corner of the room with exotic plants and small bookshelves lined up throughout the room. They met at mid-day and everyone was in attendance, including the Emperor himself, who sat at the center of the table in a luxurious chair befitting an Emperor. Honest flanked him while standing.

"Gentlemen... as you know, the city has been hit by a wave of assassinations within the past couple of weeks. The situation is now beginning to spread panic among the general populace. And panic leads to unrest, these damned rebels are not being dealt with efficiently. I have brought his grace here so you we may all assure him what we can do to ensure the safety of our civil and military servants and put the public at ease... what do you we know?" Prime Minister Honest opened.

"After consulting with the Minister of Health, Dr. Ishii, he and some of his best to perform autopsies on each of the victims. These include Dr. Stylish and Dr. Geniene", Maverick, the Crown Security Adviser began.

He then pulled out a folder and opened it up. It contained various documents including sketches of the bodies after they had been taken to be examined.

"Lord Commander Tyson was bisected. Cut in two by the waist", he continued showing a picture of what the commander looked like after he was killed. "Nouken, one of our younger generals was murdered in his penthouse in the middle of the night. One of his brides disappeared after the attack." He then showed a picture of Nouken with a deep diagonal slice going down his abdomen and stopping just above his genitals. "Reo, the Minister of Information appears to have been mauled to death by some kind of animal one night in his garden. But we suspect there is more to it, than that. Others seemed to have had their heads blown off by some kind of force consistent with that of an advanced firearm", he said.

"The manner of these killings leads us to conclude we are not dealing with an ordinary band of hired cutthroats. These are military-grade professionals, who have access to some of the most efficient and precise means and methods of taking out high value targets like the victims we have seen here". This time, the man who spoke was Koukei, the Director of Imperial Security and the Minister of Imperial Intelligence. He was the former intelligence leader of the Imperial Army.

Koukei was the same height of Esdeath, being 5'10. He was a man in his early thirties with shoulder-length blond hair, yellow-green eyes, a perfect nose and a warm smile. He was not particularly muscular and was on the thin side. He wore white collared shirt with a black tie with a dark green leather trench coat with golden epaulettes matching formal dark green pants and black oxford shoes.

"Knowing that, we have learned that the Revolutionary Army has formed an elite black-ops unit. It's called Night Raid, and it answers directly to the Revolutionary Army's main intelligence officer, Najenda..." spoke another man named Saikyuu.

Esdeath's heart sank when she heard the name Najenda. She cupped her mouth and held back tears. Najenda was more than mere acquaintance of hers, but even considered her something of an older sister. When Esdeath first set foot in the capital at the age of 12 to join the Empire's military academy, it was Najenda who she was paired off to be roommates with. A girl four years older than she was.

"Something wrong, General?" asked High Admiral Wilhelm Yamoto.

A hand placed itself on Esdeath's shoulder. A hand belonging to the only officer in the Imperial Army she answered to, General Budo, the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army.

"Esdeath and Najenda were as close as sisters before Najenda betrayed the Empire and joined the rebels". Budo answered. The room grew uncomfortably silent when that fact became known.

"That's why she failed to kill her when she had the chance", replied Saikyuu in snarky tone.

Budo then scowled at him. "Leave her alone. She may be a traitor, but there's worse company out there than Najenda, even in the Empire", Budo shot back.

"Care to elaborate on that? General?" Saikyuu said grinding his teeth.

"Gentlemen! Please!", the Emperor said, speaking up.

Esdeath gathered her feelings. It felt almost unreal how the one person she once looked up to the most is now her enemy in war, something she never thought would ever happen, but now it came to pass. This was her reality now, no matter how much she hated it. But still, Esdeath was bound to her duty.

"It's alright. Continue presenting..." Esdeath said. She then looked up at Budo and gave him a smile of appreciation. before turning to see the rest of the council.

Budo was the largest man Esdeath had ever beheld. He was a towering 6'8. He had short, spikey blond hair, deep blue eyes, with a rough, chiseled face. His skin was slightly tan in color for someone with blonde hair. Like Ogre, he was extremely muscular and built like a fortress. He wore shiny gray armor with large, bullet case-shaped shoulder pads. Beneath his armor he had a black under armor shirt with white pants. He also donned a red cloak.

"The markings on Nouken's body are consistent with the markings found on the victims of Murasame. Meaning he was killed by Akame, another one of our finest assets turned-traitor". Saikyuu added.

"Putting all of this together, we have concluded this group Night Raid is made up of former specialists from the Imperial Army. We have confirmed Bulat, another deserter is in their ranks. Adding to how lethal they are, we have reason to believe each member is an Imperial Arm user, although we have not identified each member, only Bulat, Akame, and Najenda. But from what we can gather there's about five or six of them, perhaps even more". Spoke Oriba, the Minister of Defense.

Oriba was a strange looking man. He had ghoulishly white skin with thin, silver hair, thin gray eyes and dagger-like ears. His nose was slightly crooked with an unsettling smile. He wore a black officer's hat with a red-fur coat with black interior with golden trimming.

"What makes you think there are that many of them?" Honest asked.

"The other killings were consistent with the methods certain Imperial Arms used to kill their victims. Lord-Commander Tyson was bisected perfectly. The other guards who were killed also had perfect cuts to where their limbs were severed, and the other was perfect bisected as well. We believe the Imperial Arm Extase was used in these killings. This is further evidenced by some guards who claimed to have seen a blinding light, at the time of attack was taking place which is its known trump card. Although it is possible for a person to wield two Imperial arms at once, it is a rarity and often takes a toll on the user. That's at least four". Maverick explained.

"Do you have evidence of others?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes, one of our informants was found with imprinted cuts and lacerations that wrapped around all over his body, as if he strung up with really sharp wires. We believe the Imperial Arm Cross Tail was used. It was stolen shortly after Najenda defected, so we suspect she either now uses it herself or is in the hand of a member of Night Raid who answers to her", Saikyuu answered.

"It must be a subordinate then. When I faced Najenda she still had Pumpkin. After my men swept the battlefield, we did not recover any Imperial Arm", Esdeath answered.

"The only mystery element is who or what killed Reo. It looks like he was killed by some kind of dangerbeast or a bear, or big cat even, but nobody has seen anything of the such shortly before his death, the night of his death, or shortly after his death. I guess it is possible he was killed by a dangerbeast or some kind of large animal, but I think it's too much of a coincidence he was the only person inside the city walls in a long time to be killed in such a manner at a time when other government officials are dying like flies. What's even more strange was the fact he wasn't eaten, in full or in part, but just straight up clawed and nearly ripped apart limb from limb". Maverick finished.

"Gentlemen, any government official could be next including us. How will we deal with the situation?" Honest asked them.

"I think it's obvious. We should station troops or members of the Elite Guard outside the homes of our government officials. Maybe allow some to reside here, in the palace. We've already increased our night patrols by fifty percent. If we do so anymore, we might lead to a shortage of funds and manpower". Said Shoi, the minister of internal affairs.

Shoi was man in his mid 40s. Like many of the others, he wore a green uniform, but had tan shoulder padding on his jacket. He had black hair, black eyes, prominent cheekbones, and slanted eyes. He also sported a black beard with sideburns.

"Allowing some to stay the palace may help, but there's not enough room for everyone. The increased guards may help, but let's face it. Most decently skilled imperial arms users are worth at least 10 foot soldiers, depending on the arm. From what we've gathered it sounds like we are dealing with military-grade professionals and former assassins who used to kill for the Empire, it sounds like your average Night Raid member is worth at least 15 Imperial soldiers." Budo concluded.

"So what do we do?" Prime Minister Honest asked.

"If they are able to strike at the capital this frequently then they must be hiding close by. Perhaps they are already have some secret hideout inside the city walls". The Admiral suggested.

"Alright. We'll arrange for our men to comb the entire city and surrounding 20 kilometers to see if we can locate a hideout. If nothing turns up, we'll find a way to expand our search". Budo said.

"Gentlemen...", Esdeath finally spoke up.

The men in the room then looked at her.

"I know Najenda better than anyone here. She was an older sister to me. She's not in the capital"... she said.

"And how would you know that?" Maverick asked.

"She would have made an effort to contact me, if not seeking me out for herself. Even if she was, she knows not to stay in the same place in enemy territory for too long", Esdeath answered.

"Then how do we find her?" Koukie asked.

"I don't know. But I do know how to counter her", Esdeath said. The room remained quiet, with the men focusing on her. "If it's true she leads Night Raid and they have four, five, maybe even six Imperial Arm users including herself, then the Empire must a similar unit of its own. I have an Imperial Arm, my three beasts have Imperial Arms and I know of at least one other besides General Budo. Let me form a special unit composed of Imperial Arm users, and we'll be even with Night Raid, perhaps even surpass them, the more we have". Esdeath hesitantly brought up.

She clashed with Najenda before, but it seems to everyone, she let her mercy and love for her friend get the better of her. Not long after she learned of Najenda's defection, Esdeath went so far as to have her men mobilize to meet Najenda's men on the field and talk her out of defection. Her original orders was to have her killed for treason, but after begging to give Najenda the chance to return back into the Empire's fold, it was granted. However, she had just one chance. They would return with amnesty, but if they refused, they were to put down or arrested. Esdeath met her friend on the battlefield and her worst fears came to fruition. Najenda confirmed her defection and stated she had no intention of returning to the Empire, only seeing it overthrown. She spouted off the same Revolutionary Army propaganda of evil, bureaucratic elites being the real power behind the Empire and they were not above using atrocities to protect their power, claiming she had personally witnessed them. Esdeath wanted to talk to her about it, but soon it escalated into a duel where Esdeath using her attacks cost Najenda one of her eyes and later, one of her arms. At the end, she froze her and buried her, promising to free her when the war was over. However, not long after Najenda was found, thawed and rescued by Revolutionary Army soldiers. Esdeath now fears the next time she confronts Najenda, one of them will not be walking away alive, and now it has become more inevitable due to the path she has taken. But still, Esdeath was bound to her service to the Empire. She would now how have to stop Najenda by any means she could, including forming her own unit which will likely hunt and kill Najenda's own subordinates. Esdeath did not know if Najenda would forgive her for this, never mind the cost of their first confrontation. Esdeath felt as if she couldn't even forgive herself.

"I believe this plan can work. I believe General Esdeath has what it takes to lead such a unit". Budo said, speaking up.

"Really? She let Najenda get away last time, why should we trust her again?" Koukie pressed.

"She made one emotional mistake. She won't do it again. Besides, it's more than likely it would Esdeath's subordinates fighting Najenda's subordinates, not the two of them confronting each other again. I also believe after the last battle Esdeath is under no illusion of what Najenda is now. A traitor who is actively trying to take down the Empire she was sworn to protect. I also believe such a unit can be used to accomplish other tasks". Budo continued.

"I also think this is a great idea! A special unit composed of Imperial Arms users hunting the elite Night Raid might make the enemy quake in their boots!" The Emperor excitedly proclaimed.

"His grace has spoken on the subject. Will the rest of you endorse this measure?" Honest asked the council.

"Aye! We have a young Imperial Arm user in the navy. I'll gladly do what I can to transfer him into your service, General", Admiral Yamato said.

"Very well. We'll check the other ministries for other Imperial Arm users. I know there is one in the incarnation squad", Saikyuu mentioned.

The rest of council then approved of the measure. For the next few days, the Emperor and Prime Minister Honest would issue the decree and formalize Esdeath's new group that would be tasked with combating Night Raid.


	6. Chapter 5: Kill The Trial (Part 3)

The trial of Numa Seika was winding down with one last high-profile witness, his own brother. On that day, the court proceedings began as normal, the testimony for another witness wrapped up shortly. Numa was merely slumped over. This all changed when the one name was announced.

"The prosecution will call Kuma Seika to the stand..." Bach announced.

With that announcement, Numa's eyes shot wide open with the blood beginning to boil in his brains, grinding his teeth almost immediately. He was also shaking quite visibly, with his counsel whispering at him to calm down and not to do anything stupid, however one could tell even from a distance that Rugi's words would fall on deaf ears. Kuma then made his way to the stand, but as soon as he passed by the defense's desk, hell nearly broke loose.

"Traitor! You back-stabbing little shit! I'll have your head for his!" Numa loudly exclaimed at Kuma. He then bust out of his seat and charged at Kuma. Kuma was taken off guard and had little time to react with Numa landing a shove, but most of it was held back as his counsel and the court bailiff tried their hardest to restraint him.

"Get the fuck off me, man!", Kuma cried out. By that time however, the room erupted into cries of shock as they were dazed by the spectacle. Judge Gray furiously banged his gavel and called for order, but his voice was drowned in the chorus that engulfed the room. The judge called out for order again, this time with the other judges and court officers doing their best to silence the overzealous crowd. It took them a good minute to do so.

"Numa Seika. You have just assaulted a witness. And not just any witness, your own brother. Have you no shame?" Judge Gray asked.

"Have I no shame? This cowardly weasel has betrayed me, his own brother! He is the one who ought to have shame! I ought to disembowel him where he stands, the fucking -"

"Enough!" Judge Gray interrupted. "It appears this testimony will be the most contentious. Judging by the reaction of the accused. I hereby order him shackled and gagged.

Court officers then fought Numa as he tried to resist having his hands and feet bound in heavy chains and a rag stuffed into his mouth. After about another minute he finally gave up as the officers succeeded. When they were done they cleared the room. Numa then did nothing but give an angry death stare at his younger brother as he took the bench and swore to tell the truth. It did not take long for Bach to begin his questioning.

Kuma started from the beginning where his clan, their allies, and other clans voiced opposition to the proposed mining project in the North. They initially peacefully petitioned the Tesaks to do what they could to prevent the Empire from moving forward, but they refused. When it was discovered the Tesaks would be able to pocket a certain percentage from the project for themselves, Numa concluded the only way they could stop the Empire was by separating from it. The clans opposed to the Tesaks then crowned him the Crown-Prince of the North and began by attacking the Imperial Army garrison in the North. After that, the Seikas and their allies split their forces into two. While the Tesaks and their closest allies would then directly attack God's Frost, their other allies would subjugate clans that opposed Numa's rule and/or remained loyal to the Empire.

As Kuma testified, he tried to ignore his brother's hate-filled death glare at him. While avoiding to look at his eyes, he still felt them, eating away at him. Still determined, Kuma continued on explaining Numa's crimes from his unique perspective. Being he was Numa's brother, he often witnessed other crimes no one else witnessed. Kuma testified that it was Numa who not only ordered, but oversaw the murder of the Tesaks and their household. Numa also ordered and carried out mass executions of captured Imperial soldiers from the garrisons. Kuma further stated Numa did not expect the Empire to send formidable reinforcements to the North until the civil war with the Revolutionary Army was complete. He was also further stunned when they sent General Esdeath, and that like her, most of the men in her army were also Northerners. He became even more determined to defeat them because he viewed Northerners fighting against a sovereign North as traitors. And should be dealt with accordingly.

Numa also confirmed a case where he witnessed his brother raping a female captive, the daughter of the Chief of the Ice Snake tribe. Kuma admitted to having never been with a woman before and always wanted to. Numa asserted that when northern women find out he is a prince like him, they would be "all over him". After Kuma proved himself in battle by slaying five Ice Snake warriors, Numa decided it was time "his brother become a man" and would give him a woman. Kuma said he was initially excited, but then became horrified the woman he provided him with was the clan chief's daughter, stripped, bound, and gagged.

"Numa, I don't think I can force myself on a woman. This feels, sick. I want to be with a woman who wants me to have her" Kuma recalled telling Numa.

Numa became enraged accusing his brother of being "ungrateful" and all-talk about wanting women. Numa then proceeded to rape the girl himself. Later, he had her killed when she tried to escape. This all happened the day before the Imperial Army took God's Frost, leaving Kuma traumatized and stunned for a week afterwards. Kuma finished explaining that despite Numa's promises, he seemed to seldom use his brother in combat often having him perform menial tasks keeping inventory and making sure he and his sister's weapons were sharp and their armor was handled. (Numa did not trust these tasks to mere slaves).

After Kuma's testimony, it was time for Numa to cross-examine him. But of course, instead of proceeding to question him. Numa merely taunted his brother.

"I know the Imperials think I am guilty of their crimes. I care not for what their crimes are. I am a man of North, and I did nothing wrong. Unlike what you have admitted to here, Kuma. You have outed yourself as not only slimy and cowardly, but treacherous, who sold out not only the North, but to your own family! Not even Rumi will forgive you for this-"

"You leave her out of this, you asshole!" snapped Kuma.

"Order!" Judge Gray yelled banging his gavel.

"Mr. Seika, I understand the bitter riff between you and your brother, but the point of cross-examination is to question the witness, not disparage them. If you keep this up, it will end", Judge Gray warned.

Numa sighed. "Very well. Brother, is it true when you rightfully headed my call for Northerners to take up arms against the Imperials, you did so willingly?"

Kuma hesitated for a moment, caught off guard by the question. He began to panic and sweat, before answering with a meek "yes".

"When we went to war against the Tesaks and their allies, did you fight their men and kill many in the process?"

"Yes", Kuma answered. He knew what Numa was doing. Numa was going down, and he was going to bring him down with him.

"When we attacked the Imperial garrisons did you kill Imperial soldiers?"

Kuma then began to sweat profusely and breathe heavily, looking at Bach nervously for a sign. To his dismay, Bach merely looked back at him expressionless.

"I – I did." Kuma answered.

Numa then smiled malevolently.

"Is it true you were offered a deal to testify against me which included immunity from prosecution in relation to the North's resistance, an oath of loyalty to the Empire and service in the Imperial Army after the trial's conclusion?"

"Y-yes..." Kuma answered whimpering.

Numa then turned around glared at the courtroom as if he was about to address them.

"And there it is! My brother is a spineless craven! I am being tried for rebelling against the Empire and treason. If I am a traitor, then so is my brother! And yet, he gets to walk away for squealing on me! You call this justice? This is a farce and you all know it!"

"That is enough! Are you finished with your questioning?" Judge Gray interjected.

"This isn't a trial, it's shenanigans! The Empire needs to make an example of those who oppose it, so bring me here, so you all can point and call me 'the bad man!' I'm bad for resisting the Empire! And you're all just as cowardly as my brother, because you'll keeps heads low and noodle along like good, obedient subjects you are 'cause you don't have the guts to stand up for yourselves!" Numa ranted breathlessly.

Judge Gray banged the gavel again.

"You've said more than a mouthful, Mr. Sheika. Are you done questioning the witness, yes or no?", the Judge asked.

Numa looked at the judge and his brother contempt before spitting.

"I have nothing more to say to this gutless turncoat. Get that piece of shit out of my sight!", Numa berated.

"Witness dismissed", Judge Gray instructed.

Before Kuma left, several additional guards were called in to separate the two in order to prevent another would-be brawl from breaking out in the courthouse. With his brother's testimony, the trial wound down to the last few witnesses to give theirs. It also did not take long for either side to make their closing statements.

Finally, after a four month, trial, Numa Seika was found guilty on charges with the exception of 1 charge of sedition, 44 murder charges, and 7 rape charges. He was sentenced to death. Several leaders of allied clans were also convicted and sentenced to death or given long prison sentences, others still had trials that were ongoing. Numa's request to be executed by a military officer as opposed to an ordinary headsman was granted. To his dismay, General Esdeath would be his selected executioner. Kuma was offered to witness his brother's execution as his only family member within reach. Kuma rejected the offer claiming neither wanted to see each other now that the trial was over.

It was a Saturday evening around 5:00 when Esdeath went to his new cell located in the execution chamber. She found him bound to a chair wearing ragged brown pants and ragged brown tank-top. The room was dimly lit by candles and he had a black hood covering his face.

"Who is there?!", he demanded to know.

Esdeath nodded to the one guard to remove his hood.

"You...", he growled upon seeing her.

"Some 'Hero of the North', and here you are, convicted of crimes such as murder, rape, and slavery. And as a 'prince' you brutalized many of the Northern people you claimed to rule over. You're no hero of the North I'd ever look up to" Esdeath scornfully said to him.

"At least I fought to free the North, it was you who fought for its re-subjugation! I'm more of a hero than you will ever be!", Numa spat back.

"Your hour has come now, Numa Seika. Do you have any final words?", Esdeath asked, ignoring his retort.

"You're all cowards and cheaters! You didn't defeat me! We never battled!", he raged.

"I rode to you on my danger beast before the fighting urging you to surrender. You didn't listen", Esdeath reminded him.

"The attacking forces knocked me out. We never had the chance to fight. I didn't know it was you. No general looks like that", he went on. Esdeath then noticed he began stare at her lustfully again, undressing her with his eyes. It sent a shiver down her spine. "You look like a hooker, I bet you are one too… Love your suit..." He then began to stare at her breasts.

"As your executioner, do you have any final requests?" she asked, ignoring his dirty words.

"They all say you were the one to beat me, because you have ice powers! It's not fair! You fight dirty. If I am to die and you're so powerful, then I demand to die fighting! No ice powers! If you kill me, you execute me. And If I win, I have terms", he said.

"Terms?"...

Numa then grinned. "If I win and kill you, I go free and start again. But if I can overpower you without killing you, then I win and go free! But I'm going to take you as mine and fuck you good. Yes... you'll be my personal fuck slave! You'll bear me heirs when I reclaim the North again! That is if no other woman can. I'll find a real wife, and not whore who slept her way to the top, I'll still keep you though. But first, I'll have to settle the score with that treacherous little shit, I once called a brother!", Numa said with his grin turning into a bitter frown.

Esdeath gasped at the proposition, feeling dirty being subject to hate and lust-filled taunts by him. The guard then punched Numa in the face.

"Watch yourself, traitor. Do you really want these to be your last words? You should take his head now, General", The guard suggested.

"I accept."

The Guard then became incredulous.

"General, you can't be serious!"

"I was a little disappointed not being able to spar with this one on the battlefield. Fine. I agree to your terms", Esdeath said with confidence.

Numa then licked his lips. "Good. Prepare to become mine."

"General, this is most improper-"

"Do you doubt me? I won't be long, the courts will overlook this," Esdeath assured the guard. "Take him to the courtyard, then hand him your sword", Esdeath instructed.

"Yes ma'am".

The three of them went to the upper courtyard not far from the holding cells. The sky was orange and purple with shadows growing longer with each passing minute. Esdeath selected the guard to serve as judge. Each would meet in the center of the court yard then take five paces in the opposite direction away from where they met. Esdeath was armed with her rapier, while Numa was equipped with a standard-issue broadsword taken from the guard. Each drew their blade and looked at the other eagerly.

 _This bitch is mine! She's probably nothing without her ice powers!_ Numa thought to himself.

"Duelists! Are you ready?!" The guard asked.

"Yes!" They both answered simultaneously.

The guard then threw down his hand.

"Fight!"

"You're mine, bitch!", Numa yelled as he darted towards Esdeath.

Esdeath merely grinned, holding her stance. When he was in range, Numa thrust his blade at her. With one swift motion, she blocked it. Numa then grunted and tried again. Blocked again. He then tried again and again, repeatedly becoming more aggressively and sloppy to the point merely blocking him would no longer be enough. After his eighth blow, she let out a "ha!" and went to penetrate his forearm. Numa saw the attack coming then dodged, countering it with a blow that nearly knocked the blade out of her hand.

 _He's no pushover, that's for sure._ Esdeath thought to herself. She then went for a few blows herself as Numa evaded them. During one of her attempted strikes, Numa, kneed her in the stomach. She spat and a few tears flew from her eyes. In that moment, Numa went for the blow that finally knocked her rapier free.

"Shit!", Esdeath whispered.

"Aha!" Numa yelled as he went for a fatal thrust to her abdomen. Thinking fast, Esdeath did a backward somersault to dodge the attack. However, she was farther away from her weapon. Numa then stomped on it.

"I disarmed you! Yield! I don't want your body scarred when I fuck you!" Numa yelled.

"It's not over yet!" She yelled back.

"You're decent sport, I'll give you that!"

The guard then looked nervously at Esdeath. She looked at him and winked. The general then bolted towards Numa. He then side-swept out of the way and grabbed her sword from the ground. He turned around and tried to go for a double-blow, but upon looking up, there she was, giving him a roundhouse kick to the face. Numa then fell backwards throwing her sword. In one lightning-fast moment, she grabbed her rapier then thrust forward shoving it through his neck as he fell to the ground. Numa then spat blood as he began to bleed and spasm for air.

"I... I am the... Prince..." he said. His eyes then rolled over and his body gave out one last spasm before he died.

Esdeath then pulled the blade from his neck. She then sighed in relief. Numa's terror was finally over. He had answered for his crimes and faced his delivered punishment. Deep down though, Esdeath felt off about executing people as a method of punishment seeing it too often used on innocent people and believing the guilty should live with the guilt of their crimes rather than be let go so easily.

Today was not an easy day. Earlier, she had to say goodbye to Percii who would return to the North and live with the monks at the temple at God's Frost where he and his father lived. He gave a tearful goodbye to Esdeath and his teacher, Run. The two of them promised to visit him in the future. At least before he left, Run gave him the flight he wanted to have. Upon seeing his Imperial Arm in action, Esdeath was able to recruit Run into her new Imperial Arm-wielding police unit, the Jaegers. Run agreed, finding common ground with Esdeath in their mutual opposition to the rebellion while holding a strong desire to peacefully reform the Empire. Not long afterwards they quickly found other recruits, such as Seryu of the Imperial Police's Elite Guard, Bols of the former Incineration Squad, Dr. Stylish, a talented doctor that helped Seryu with her upgrades. The admiral tracked down the Imperial Arms user in the navy, a young sailor named Wave, he would be arriving later that evening and the group would meet up for the first time.

Not far from the site where Esdeath and Numa dueled, Kuma waited outside looking off into the sunset, as he looked. Bach, and two Imperial soldiers carrying a large chest approached him.

"Kuma Seika", Bach called out.

Kuma then cocked his head to face him. "Yo".

"Your brother, Numa Seika is now dead. Apparently his execution consisted of a duel between him and General Esdeath as opposed to his sentence of beheading..." Bach said sounding slightly annoyed.

"Whatever. He's dead now", Kuma said dismissively.

"We still have some business to resolve", Bach stated. "Your military training will begin in three weeks. Until then you are still under curfew. But as for your testimony playing a part in your brother's guilty verdict. You are rewarded with this".

Bach then snapped his fingers and the two soldiers laid the chest down before him.

Kuma then dropped to his knees and wiggled his fingers with glee as he slowly moved to open the chest.

 _Gold, gold, gold!_ He happily thought to himself.

He then opened the chest and let out an audible "eh?". Inside there was Numa's armor, crown, purple suit, and a piece of paper with fancy writing and the Empire's coat of arms stamped on it.

"Your brother won't be needing his armor anymore. So it's now yours. The paper is a guarantee signed by his majesty affirming the deal we made, and the transfer of your brother's belongings to you. It also recognizes you as the new head of your clan. Furthermore your brother's body will be transported to your clan's holdings for a proper burial, Bach explained.

"Thanks, but uh... where's the spear?" Kuma asked.

"Your brother's spear is still being held by the Imperial Police, it will be given to you upon completion of your military training and whatever duty they deem fit for you to serve, has been assigned", Bach answered.

"That's cool I guess..."

"If there is nothing else to inquire about, I shall take my leave, Ogre and Seryu will help bring this up to your room",

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, man".

Bach and the soldiers then left. Not long after leaving site, Kuma then threw himself on the armor, feeling it up.

"Hey Numa! Better rest in peace, because guess who gets the armor, spear and title of clan leader now? Me!" Kuma gloated while laughing. It did not take long for Seryu and Ogre to show up behind him.

"So you got some armor kid, congratulations,'' commented Captain Ogre.

"Even better is he did the right thing and put that evil-doing brother of his to death by testifying against him!", Seryu proudly proclaimed.

Kuma then thought for a moment. He was in a new land and now that he was free he was now able to set out what he always wanted. Obtain a girlfriend. Sure, Seryu was on the overzealous side, but as long as he pretended the part, he reasoned little could go wrong.

"Yeah... I'm proud to have served justice..." he said.

"And I'm glad you did the right thing!", Seryu said to him. She then gave a hard pat on the shoulder. So much so, it kind of hurt.

"Ow!"

"I'm sorry, did I hit too hard?", Seryu asked.

"Don't worry about it", Kuma stated rubbing his shoulder. "Say, do you want, uh... go out to eat later?", he asked.

"No can do, citizen. Tonight, I'm moving into the dorms near the palace grounds. I have my first meeting with the Jaegers tonight! It's a new police unit that will hunt down those terrorists in Night Raid and bring them to _justice_!", she boasted with a proud smile on her face.

Kuma then felt disappointed. "Oh... okay..."

"I should be off soon, but welcome to the Royal Armed Forces of the Empire". Seryu said.

She then ran off with her dog-like creature, Koro.

Across town at the gates to the Capitol, a young man stepped forward entering the city for the first time in his entire life. He was a 19 year-old man, he had a light tan but had short, dark-blue cowlick hair. His eyes were also blue, and stood fairly tall at 6 feet tall even. He donned a blue leather jacket with a fuzzy beige interior. On his neck, he wore an orange-red scarf with a silver anchor on it. For his shirt, he wore his navy casual, a white shirt with a blue stripe going down the middle. He had a gray belt holding up his dark gray pants, and he wore large brown boots. Lastly, he had black fingerless gloves.

"My name is Wave! I'm a man of the seas doing my part in the Empire's navy!", he proudly proclaimed aloud.

Despite his bold announcement, few people seemed to pay any heed to him, and those who did merely looked at him for a second or two to snicker. Nevertheless, Wave continued on past the crowds of people.

 _But now I'm being summoned to join this new, Imperial security squad, it's a promotion!_ He thought to himself.

As he continued on, people's initial ignoring of him began to reverse as many began to stare at him and ponder.

 _This is my first time I'm coming to the capital, so I made sure not to dress like an unfashionable hick, I picked out the coolest outfit I could find!_

"What a backwards hick", one man whispered.

"What's a country-bumpkin like that doing here?", a woman whispered back. It did not take long for Wave to notice people were giving him weird looks.

 _Could my manners be off?_ The young sailor wondered to himself. He then shrugged it off and put a proud smile on his face. "No matter! I've battled the many perils of the sea, from the most treacherous of pirates to the most savage of marine danger beasts! These trivial matters don't bother me!" He boldly proclaimed. Wave then proceeded to his target destination.

From the city gates it took him nearly an hour to reach the meeting site. As he arrived, the sun had finally slipped below the horizon. The building in question was a large dormitory-style building located on the Royal Palace property. The building was named "Leopold Hall", named after a previous emperor who built it. The building was made of limestone with emerald green domes for roofing. The entrance to the building was a rotunda with a large statue of Emperor Leopold donning the top of the rotunda's roof. Atop the spires were stone statues of angel women and children. Wave entered the building smiling.

 _I found the meeting place smoothly enough, inside are the folks I'll be working with_. He thought to himself with excitement. He then entered the building to search for the room designated as _meeting room_. It did not take long for him to find it, located on the top floor.

 _First impressions are everything, I'll make sure they won't underestimate me_. He thought to himself. Wave then proceeded to open the door.

"I've come from the Imperial Navy!", he called aloud as he entered.

However Wave's smile was reversed upon entering. There was only one person inside, a very large, muscular man about 6'4. He was bare-chested with three large scars stretching across his upper chest. He wore dark brown boots, white sleeves on his forearms secured by black leather straps. But what put Wave on edge, was that this man did not show his face, he was wearing a white mask with black rectangles in is eye region. For eyes, it had two black goggles for eyes and a gray voicemitter where his mouth should be. The man did nothing but sit there and unnerved Wave. He just sat there, and stared at him. There was just something menacing about this to Wave.

"Uh...", Wave said audibly as he began to sweat in panic. "Pardon me". He then promptly turned around and left the room slamming the door behind him. He then collapsed to the ground still shaken over the encounter.

"Uh... this must be the master torturer's room, yikes." said, laughing nervously to himself. He then pulled out a slip of paper from his breast-pocket.

 _I'm supposed to go to the meeting room for the security squad, I thought_. He said thinking to himself. He then looked up to read the plaque above the door. The plaque read "Meeting Room".

"Waaahh?!" Wave gasped aloud. "This _is_ the right place, which means that guy is gonna be my colleague? Typical capital weirdness, even pirates dress more normal than that!", he said utterly dismayed.

 _I'll just be careful not to rile him up_. Wave slowly re-entered the room awkwardly and slowly made his way to the opposite end of the table from where the large man was sitting.

"H-hello...", Wave was able to utter. Further adding to his dismay was the man continued to stare at him, even moving his head to make sure Wave was center in his field of vision. Most unsettling, was the man just said nothing the entire time.

 _Whoa, whoa, what's the big idea?_ Wave thought as he took his seat. He then looked down putting his hands to his knees and continued to panic-sweat. _He won't stop staring at me!_ Although he could not see this man's eyes, the young sailor could still feel them glaring with intent at him beneath that horrifying mask. Wave then thought of his dear mother.

 _It's no good, mom! I want to go home already! I can't hold my own against the waters of the capital!_ Wave concluded with unease. He continued to sit there with his heart pounding and sweat rolling from his forehead. Moments would drag, but then suddenly, he heard another door open, it was a double-door located to the left from where he entered.

"Excuse us!", an affirmative female voice called out.

Wave then turned to see a young woman with auburn hair. Unlike the large man with the mask, she was a more pleasant site, wearing a formal, light green military-style skirt with a dark green scarf, white stockings, and green high-heeled boots. She wore armored gauntlets on her hands and was accompanied by a round, dog-like being. In her hand, she carried a bouquet of flowers.

"Seryu Ubiquitous, of the Imperial Police's capital garrison!", she announced. "And this is Koro!", Seryu said referring to the dog.

 _She seems determined, I bet it's because she's older._ Wave thought to himself.

The girl who appeared to be in her mid 20s then began to sprinkle the flowers all over the room.

"What the?" Wave audibly whispered as she did so. He had never expected anything like this, this girl was certainly a spectacle.

"Dr. Stylish! The preparations are complete!", the girl announced. A moment later, a man stepped into the room. He was about Wave's height, had spiky black hair with a splash of white near his widow's peak. On his chin, the man had visible stubble. He wore glasses and had blue eyes. The man wore a white lab coat, a yellow suit and tie with a blue shirt with white polka dots.

"Thank you, Seryu", Dr. Stylish said with a flamboyant tone of voice. "Taking care of one's first impression, is the most stylish etiquette a man can have!", he said continuing his stride holding his head in one had and his elbow in the other.

Wave was stunned, looking over at him shocked. Everyone he had met in this room was a character of some kind. "Geez, ain't this guy a little prancy!", he asserted with shock.

The sudden remark caught Dr. Stylish's attention.

"Oh my, I can tell by your looks, you're nothing but an ignorant country-boy. Still, I must say you're quite handsome despite that. I look forward to polishing you right up!" Dr. Stylish said to Wave with a flirtatious smile and a wink.

Wave's eyes then sunk deep into his head with astonishment.

 _Is this guy into me, or something?!_ He thought worryingly to himself.

"It looks like I'm the last one here..." a calming male voice said.

 _Oh man, what kind of person do we have now?_ Wave thought pessimistically. He then turned to see a man about his age enter the room. He had long blond hair, wore a white kimono with a black undershirt and pants, a brown belt, hand guards, white boots, a collar, and a feather in his hair.

"Hello", the man said to Wave.

"Hey, my name is Wave, nice to meet you", Wave said.

"I'm Run. I look forward to working with you from now on" Run said extending his hand to Wave.

Relief then fell over Wave like a tsunami. For a minute he remained still before suddenly rising from his chair to hold Run's hand.

"Finally! You seem to be the most normal of this bunch, please don't disappoint me!" Wave exclaimed ecstatically. Wave merely looked at him and smiled. However it took Wave a minute that now he was the one weirding people out.

"Hey everyone! I made tea!" an unfamiliar voice called out. Wave then turned to see it was none other than the large man with the mask holding a tray of tea. Everyone then took their seats and the man then began to pass out tea. He then made his way to Wave.

"I'm sorry for not saying anything to you even though I was the first one here", he said as he handed a cup of tea to Wave. "I'm rather bashful, so I got nervous", he continued.

"But I'm probably the oldest one here, I shouldn't be acting this way".

Wave then laughed. _Never would have taken him for the bashful type_.

"My name is Bols. I'm from the incineration squad. I look forward to joining you as a fellow Imperial Arms user," the man said.

The five of them sat quietly and drank their tea. From across the table, Wave could see Stylish judging Bols' attire giving him stern, disapproving looks.

"So we'll be placed under the command of General Esdeath. I might have heard the name before, has anyone met this general?" Wave asked.

"I have. The General saved my daughter once" Bols said.

"Of course, General Esdeath is a patient of mine", Stylish answered.

"I've seen General Esdeath a few times but never had the chance to introduce myself..." Seryu answered.

"And of course I have, interesting circumstances as well. I should also mention the General has already named me second-in-command", Run answered.

"Really? Guess I'm the only one who hasn't seen or met General Esdeath, being I served in the navy. What's he like?" Wave asked...

Run then smiled and _Hmphed_ at him, as if he knew something and wasn't saying.

"What?" Wave asked.

"You'll find out what the General is like in good time", Run assured.

For about 30 more seconds, the group continued to drink. However, the clacking of either boots or heels became audible from the outside. The doors then opened everyone turned their heads to see. In came a woman who stood an inch or two smaller than Wave, with long blue hair and matching icy-blue eyes. She had a slender, voluptuous form, with large, perfectly-formed breasts. Above her breasts appeared to be a tattoo of some sort, and she wore a white General's outfit, but wore a mini-skirt as opposed to the usual military pants.

"So you've all found your way here. I am pleased. Welcome", the woman spoke.

Just then, Seryu shot up from her chair saluting the woman.

"Seryu Ubiquitous at your service, General Esdeath! It is an honor to serve in your new, elite Imperial Arms centered-unit, I will not fail you!", she announced with pride.

 _Holy damn, this woman is General Esdeath? She's even hotter than the sirens of legend. I actually think I'm starting to like this gig now_. Wave thought happily to himself as he gazed over her.

"Thank you Seryu, we'll introduce ourselves shortly", Esdeath stated. Seryu then took her seat.

"I've already met some of you here already, but for those of you who haven't, I am General Esdeath, General of the Imperial Army's Fourth Army. And with the blessing of his majesty and Prime Minister Honest, your captain of the new Imperial Arm special police unit, the Jaegers. Our primary mission is to maintain order and protect the Empire from all foes, foreign and domestic. The main focus is a group called Night Raid who have carried out several assassinations within the Capitol within the past couple of weeks. They too, wield Imperial Arms, so you have all been chosen with the highest and most dangerous of responsibility of ending their terror", Esdeath began. "But we'll get to that later on, let's have the rest of you introduce yourselves and your Imperial Arms. Let's start with you, Seryu".

Once again, Seryu shot straight-up out of her chair, saluting the General.

"I am Seryu Ubiquitous, a former officer in the Capital Garrison of the Imperial Police's Elite Guard. I stride to live up to the values of justice enshrined to me by my late father, and live up to the strength of my mentor, Captain Ogre!", Seryu began. "And this is Koro, my Arm and partner!", she said holding Koro up. Koro then barked before she took her seat again.

"I am Dr. Stylish. I'm the house doctor and used to work for the Ministry of Health. I'll keep you well, and stylish if you allow me", he answered with the same smile and wink. "My Imperial Arm is _Perfector_ , it allows me to perform surgeries flawlessly".

"My name is Run. I used to be a teacher in the Joyo region and through an interesting turn of events, I found myself as the second-in-command to one of the Empire's newest and most elite teams", Run stated.

 _I can tell this guy is the scholarly type_. Wave thought to himself.

"The Imperial Arm I wield is _Mastema_ , it grants me the ability of flight", continued Run.

"I'm Bols. I used to be in the incineration squad. I'm probably the oldest one here. I'm 32 and have a beautiful family of my own", said Bols. "My Imperial Arm is _Rubicante_ , a flamethrower that shoots flames that can never be extinguished until whatever they are burning has been burnt up", he continued.

 _Guess it's my turn_. Wave thought.

"My name is Wave, I used to be in the navy. One time we defeated a notorious pirate who called himself the 'Salt King', on his private island he had a box containing _Grand Chariot_ , and now I possess it as my Imperial Arm".

Esdeath then smiled at them. "I'm glad to have such a diverse range of users for this team. Now, as for my Imperial Arm, it is this", ``she said pointing to the mark above her breasts.

"It is the Demon's Extract, and I can control and manipulate ice", she continued.

 _Ice powers? Matches her hair, I'll say that_. Wave thought to himself.

"So this will be our meeting room, but this entire building will be our dormitory. Each of you have your own room and we'll have a common area where we'll have our meals together", Esdeath went on.

She then took them on the grand tour. Their rooms although much nicer than Wave had experienced in the navy, they were still not as big as he had hoped either. Mostly contained a bedroom and a small bathroom. After the tour, they had a meal prepped for them. For a grand welcome, they had prime rib. After dinner and the sun settled, they retired to their rooms, although Stylish approached Esdeath to show her something.

"General, I believe we have located another Imperial Arms user, one who went missing not too long ago,'' Stylish said.

"Missing?"

"Yes, a member of the Dark Squad, Kurome, who possesses _Yatsufusa_ was declared missing-in-action after a mission where they encountered Night Raid. Her sister Akame defected to Night Raid and it is speculated she may have went after her. This could have been fatal for her as she had about a month's worth of combat drugs which she is dependent on. If she's low, she could die out there from painful withdrawal symptoms", Stylish explained.

"Alright, where is she and how do you figure it's her?", Esdeath asked.

"Well we just received, a report from a passing caravan claimed they spotted a girl who matched her description raiding one of their wagons for food near the town of Orange Creek which is about 25 miles from the Dark Squad's mission where they encountered Night Raid. Some hunters also found a trail of dead wolves that appeared to have been sliced with a sword near Stonefall Hill not too far away. She could still be there, and if we find her, she could be an asset to this team", Stylish concluded.

Esdeath then thought for a moment. "I'll do it. An arm like hers could help us, worse still, I don't like the idea of a poor, young, drugged up girl dying alone in the woods. I'll rescue her myself. I'll set off in the morning on my flying danger beast. It should take me about half a day to get there", Esdeath concluded.

"Very good, General. If you find her, give her these, she might need them". The doctor then handed her a small bag containing a few of the combat drugs in pill-form. With that, Esdeath went to her bedroom. She climbed in instinctively looking for a Percii to cuddle, only to remember the monks took him back North. She then rested the night away. Just before dawn, she awakened, packed a few fruits for breakfast then took off to Orange Creek to begin her search for Kurome.


	7. Chapter 6: Kill The Despair

In what seemed like fate had built up a powerful gathering, Esdeath was sent to find Kurome only two days after she swallowed her last combat pill. The pain and suffering was reaching her breaking point.

Esdeath kept a sharp eye on the landscape, searching for Kurome down below. It wasn't easy for her to spot a potential missing person nearing dusk and trees getting in the way of her view. But she wasn't going to let that get in her way and continued looking.

Throughout the entire time, she's been keeping the image of the radius Dr. Stylish drew on the map inside her mind. The only detail to help her find the spot she needs to be is a small field that's about 300 feet close to a long cliff. But even that description was too vague for her as there are many spots that could easily be mistaken for the actual spot Kurome was in.

 _I hope I'm not too late_. Esdeath thought to herself worriedly.

She looked and looked all over the land, vowed to herself that she'll never stop until she found her. Dead or alive.

After many minutes, she found something that led her to have her danger beast to land on the ground. It was some kind of circular field of dirt.

Esdeath looked at the ground. She could tell that a small camp took place before leaving. There were wheel marks and a bit of ash. What's strange is that there's no blood spills or corpses laying around.

"I hope whoever was around here is safe. This area has Dangerbeasts roaming around..." Esdeath looked around after she said that.

Despite the cold wind and the sound of crickets, it was surprisingly quiet and Esdeath couldn't feel some kind of presence of a Dangerbeast waiting to strike her.

Suddenly something caught her eye, she spotted a wolf's paw just laying down. She walked over and grabbed the paw to observe it.

"It looks like it's been ripped off its body, recently killed..."

Esdeath then walked forward, away from the field and rummaged through the bushes. To her surprise, She found blood splatters around the leaves. A flat corpse of a wolf, some kind of ground print.

She started to quicken her pace, anxious to find out if Kurome was killed or not. As she traversed to the woods, she noticed a few claw scratches and footprints, a few trees were out of place and very soon, found a broken tree branch covered in blood. It looked like it was used as a melee weapon.

Esdeath immediately knew she was on the right track. The only question is… Where is Kurome now?

"I must hurry."

Esdeath quickly looked all over the Dangerbeast massacre scene. To her relief, no regular human died.

Just when there were no clues left, she found black ink drops close to a rock. Upon further inspection, she could see that there's some scribbles on the rock's surface.

"Oh no..."

Esdeath had a frightening thought in her head and started to run.

With all the painful heavy feelings surrounding her body, horrifying memories of her previous missions and assassinations she'd done in the past, nightmares of her sister leaving her and no signs of hope to reunite with her and stop the pain, Kurome has had enough.

She slowly walked closer to the edge of a cliff, begging to be dead.

"I can't..." She whimpered. "I can't take this anymore..."

Kurome kept walking closer to the edge, her eyes were red and teared up, a small trail of blood drips could be seen.

"Where are you, Akame? Why did you go to a dangerous road? Why did you leave me alone?"

Kurome kept repeating those harsh words to herself, more and more of her happiest memories with her sister came in her head, flooding in like drops of heavy rain. Comforting, yet enduring.

Soon enough, all her visions stopped once she reached at the edge of a cliff. Esdeath was not too far behind.

Kurome slowly grabs her sheath and held it up in place. "This world is cruel... I lost everyone I loved... She's not with me anymore... And I can't stand this pain anymore..."

She dropped her weapon to the ground. At the same time, Esdeath found her at a critical time.

"Good bye, sister..." Kurome closed her eyes and prepared to jump.

A thick wall of ice immediately arose from the ground where Kurome attempted to jump from the edge.

"Ow!"

Kurome's body hit the wall hard, causing her to fall back to the ground.

"What the hell?" Kurome groaned. She opened her eyes to find out what hit her. Her eyes opened wide in horror as she stared at the ice wall, fearing for the worst.

"Don't do it..." Esdeath said with a concerned tone.

Kurome got goosebumps and slowly turned her head around nervously. To her shock, Esdeath was standing there in plain sight. Though she was just looking at Kurome, her heart started to beat rapidly. She was so scared that she could hardly get the words out of her mouth, let alone open her mouth clearly.

"Ye-you? N-n-neh… No… Ah-I..."

"Relax, I am not here to arrest you." Esdeath said calmly.

Before she could continue, Kurome crawled for her sword as fast as she could. "Stay back!" She mildly shouted as she took out her sword sloppily.

"There's no need for you to fight, Kurome. Don't be afraid."

Esdeath took her time approaching her slowly while Kurome stared in horror and clinging onto her sword.

"I know you're not feeling well and it looks like you're in the drug's critical stages. You need medical treatment now. I understand you're not with your sister Akame and she's been a wanted girl ever since she's gone rogue. Which is why we need each other."

Kurome, still worried, got up on her feet and tried to think of a plan. Her mind was struggling for an effective way to run away and hide from Esdeath, let alone kill her.

"How do you know about my sister?" She asked.

"As a top ranking military leader, I am constantly updated with important developments. She is wanted for treason, mutiny, murder of Imperial soldiers, terrorism, and joining an unlawful organization. I have been tasked with taking her and her new-found cohorts, down."

Kurome grew more scared as Esdeath continued speaking.

"While the Empire has confirmed Akame's treason, the status of your loyalty is unconfirmed as you are considered missing-in-action. But I, with full confidence can confirm it. I want to hear your side of the story and help us bring her to justice." Esdeath finished.

Kurome was stunned. She believed it was over for both Akame and herself. There was nothing she could do that would help her return to her sister.

"Kurome?" She asked with concern, fearing that Kurome might faint.

"There's nothing to say. My sister abandoned me all because I didn't join her in the revolution." She got down on her knees and started to tear up.

"I have no reason to live anymore..."

"That's not true!" Esdeath replied. "She was tasked with taking down Najenda, a former compatriot who now serves as a high ranking rebel leader for the Revolutionary Army. And yet, she somehow convinced your sister to join them. But we believe if anyone can turn her back, it would be you."

Kurome didn't seem to listen. She slowly took her sword out of the sheath. "If you see her, tell her she's failed me..."

She raised her sword up to stab her heart, but just before she could do that, Esdeath quickly threw a tiny ice particle onto her hands and quickly froze her arms.

Kurome screamed and dropped her sword by surprise. The ice started to encase her entire body and grew thicker to prevent her from moving. The only part of her body that was not frozen was her head. Kurome cried in horror and tried to escape, but it was useless. She begged for anyone or anything to save her from getting brutally tortured.

"I'm sorry, your life is too valuable for me to lose. If you die, my mission fails." Esdeath said mildly apologetic.

"Why are you doing this?!" She cried.

"Because I cannot let you take your own life. We need you alive and well."

"Really?" Her statement had Kurome calm down a little.

Esdeath approached her and lowered her head down to Kurome's level. She gently placed her hand onto her cheek and looked at her.

"Do you want to see your sister again?" She asked with a soft tone.

Kurome took a while to think about the answer. If Esdeath was as terrible as people outside the borders make her out to be, why did she stop her from committing suicide?

Matter of fact, she would've been captured and Esdeath would have had her be taken to the Empire right away by now. Instead, Esdeath is helping her at a time where she's in a world of despair and agony. And Esdeath was the last person Kurome ever expected to save her.

The instant she grasped this surprisingly safe moment of peace being a reality, Kurome was wondering if there was still hope that she'll be back in a better Imperial environment then before.

"Yes..." Kurome answered.

"Good..." Esdeath smiled and gave her a kiss.

The ice immediately disintegrated and Kurome was set free. She was very shocked to see her like this. An "Ice Queen Killer" showing such kindness and compassion to a "mere soldier." As surreal as it was to witness Esdeath like this, Kurome was thankful that there was still hope. She slowly hugged her back.

"Th-thank you..."

"It will be alright, Kurome." Esdeath said releasing her.

Kurome stared at her once again. Esdeath was standing tall with a genuine smile on her face. All of this took some time for Kurome to sink in.

"Is something wrong, Kurome?"

"I thought you were a cold hearted killer from what I heard from the villagers. But… You're so much nicer in real life."

Esdeath sighed out of guilt.

"I appreciate the compliment. But I'm pretty sure you've heard about me and my previous battles in the past."

"Okay. I know you're not here to kill me… But why did you come here to find me?"

"I've been sent here to find you and bring you back to the Imperial Palace. Don't be mistaken. You're not going to prison, you are needed for a position. To be part of an important group."

"An important group?"

"That's right. A special police force. To counteract with the Revolutionary Army's most dangerous group, Night Raid."

"Counteract? As in…" Kurome coughed up blood a little before she could finish. Esdeath held her out of concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so..."

"It looks like the effects are getting to the critical point, Kurome. You're going to die unless we do something. Let's not waste anymore time out here in the cold."

Despite the horrible crushing feeling, Kurome was relieved that she'll get the drugs again to stop the pain. Although medical help is not too far behind, Kurome had to ask Esdeath one question.

Esdeath crouches down to pick up her sword. She puts the sword back in the sheath and returned it back to Kurome's hands. As she grabbed her weapon, she tried to be brave and opened up to Esdeath.

"Esdeath..." She spoke more clearly than before.

"Yes, Kurome?"

"Before I join… Can I ask you something?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"Will my sister be safe? I don't want to lose her..."

Esdeath gave her a pensive look. Worried that if she lost her sister, she would lose her family. She briefly thought of Percii back in thein the NNorth, living inside his father's temple with only his closest friends and kindest of monks to take care of him. But without his family.

In the case with Kurome, she does have a chance to reunite with her sister. Unlike Percii, she can carry a sword and put up a fight. Esdeath sighed and gave out the best answer she could muster.e

"I cannot promise you that her life will be guaranteed. But I can tell you that I will prioritize capturing her alive, if we are able to. Believe me, you're not the only one who wants to bring someone in their camp back. We would like Akame alive as well. But if put in a situation where it is you, another squad member, the Emperor, or Imperial civilians, or her. Then I'm afraid we'll have to put her down. Other than that, I will try to convince my superiors not to authorize an assasination order on her. That is the best I can do for now."

"Alright..." Kurome got down on her one knee and struggled to get up.

"Please... help me..."

Esdeath spread her arms open and hugged her again.

"Don't worry, it will be okay..."

Esdeath lifted Kurome up and carried her on her arms. Kurome felt a bit of relief. But soon came to the realization that the Capital is miles away from where she and Esdeath are standing.

"How are we going to get back? The Capital is far away."

"Have no fear." Esdeath then whistled. Her wyvern screeched and landed close to their position. Kurome almost panicked from the sight.

"It's okay, Kurome. It won't harm you. And I just remembered..."

Esdeath then reached into her breast pocket, bringing out the combat pills for Kurome. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the bag.

"Give it to me! Please..." Kurome pleaded.

"Easy, Kurome..." She opened the bag and picked one pill. "There will be more once we return to the Capital."

"Thank you..." Kurome grabbed the pill and swallowed it.

"Just hold onto me as tight as you can, alright?" Esdeath said comfortingly.

"Okay..." Kurome clinged onto her before putting her sword back into her skirt's belt.

"It's alright, Kurome. This is my pet wyvern."

"Pet what?!"

"A wyvern. It helps me out with transportation."

Kurome was still amazed, but quickly sighed in relief. Esdeath jumped up and landed onto the wyvern's back, still holding Kurome with her arms.

As the wyvern took off, Kurome kept her eyes closed and held Esdeath's stomach tightly. The feeling of elevation and the breeze in the air was enough to give Kurome the shivers.

"Don't be afraid." Esdeath said comfortably. "I won't let you fall."

Kurome still kept her eyes closed, but slowly got used to the feeling. They were 500 feet up in the air. Heading to the city, which wasn't hard to miss. It's easily viewable with its vast amount of lights that could be seen by anyone, as far as their eyes could reach outside the borders.

"We're heading inside the Capitol, Kurome."

She opened her eyes. What she saw left her speechless.

It started as simple streets of plain old houses with a decent amount of lighting from the castles and streetlights. As they continued to fly forward, the streets started to get more and more crowded, houses kept getting bigger and better along with parks, stores and other buildings, rivers could be seen and the lights became a sight to behold. It seemed like thousands of buildings just kept on expanding.

"Wow..." Kurome was stunned.

"From up here, The Capitol is beautiful." Esdeath said. "Welcome to Yamagrad..."

Kurome looked up and gazed at the sight of an enormous city.

"It's much bigger than I remembered..." Kurome said.

"That's no surprise, The Empire continues to expand their city every day. It has helped many lives of people from the outside. Just like me..." Esdeath smiled.

Kurome was still looking down at the city to her amazement. About a minute, they can see a gigantic elegant palace surrounded by a circular wall. Home to Emperor Makoto Yamashiro, the Imperial Security Council, the Crown Leagues and some of the richest and most powerful people in the city.

It's not hard to miss the palace in plain sight, for it is easily viewable to anyone walking down the streets.

Kurome started to shake nervously. "I don't know about this, Esdeath." She said worriedly.

"You're not in trouble, Kurome." She replied softly. "I'll take you to a doctor and take care of you first. Then we'll have a meeting together with the others."

"A meeting?"

"Yes, there will be others waiting for you when you return. Your life is about to change for the better, but only if you agree to it."

"Agree to what?"

"Don't worry about that now. Just focus on keeping your strength and spirits up. You'll need it if you want to reunite with your sister."

"Yes, Esdeath..."

"It will be okay, Kurome..."

Kurome closed her eyes again. Esdeath held her tightly as the wyvern slowly descended to the ground. The guards were there waiting for her return. Esdeath gently gets Kurome off the wyvern.

"Please send her to the medical room." Esdeath ordered. "I want you to be as gentle and nice to her as possible . She's been through enough suffering."

"Yes, General." One of the guards said.

"Before you go..." Esdeath then handed Kurome an apple. She slowly ate it as she's still in a very weak condition.

"Thank you… So much..." Kurome whimpered.

"You're welcome." Esdeath replied. "Now send her to her bed."

Three guards then took her through the hallway. One held her forearm.

Esdeath walked back and made her way to the dining table. Scarlet was there, sitting down and eating her turkey sandwich.

"You found Kurome?" She asked.

"Yes, she is currently being treated medically."

"Good to know."

Esdeath took a seat and sighed, thoughts of Kurome going through a harsh time out in the wild briefly reminded her of Percii, she briefly saw him in the cold without his parents and crying by himself. Then it led to the most horrifying moment of her life.

A sweet young girl with light purple hair and eyes named Monaca. Dead bodies, destroyed houses and ice surrounded her. She grew upset just thinking about it.

"Is something wrong?" Scarlet asked with concern.

"Nothing..." Esdeath replied gloomly. "It's just that… I found Kurome and… I thought of… them..."

Scarlet knew right away who she was referring to. "That little boy Percii? And Monaca?"

"Yes..." Esdeath shed a tear. "I just hope they will be safe. All Percii has is the monks inside the temple. I want to be with him and help. But… I'm needed here and I don't want him to be close to the war."

Scarlet stared at her in pity, knowing how much she cared about the children.

"Don't cry, Esdeath. You need to stay strong and remain focused on the war. We're not sure when our enemies will strike. We need you to protect the Imperial Palace and put an end to the war."

"I know, Scarlet. But I don't know if I can… defeat her..."

"Esdeath, I know she was your friend and I miss her too. But you are what the Empire and the Capitol needs. And if this Jaegers group has taught me anything, it's that the Empire is doing their best to prevent our enemies from leading the city into a destructive battlefield. You can't hold yourself back when people are dying. Especially when you possess a powerful weapon inside of you..."

Esdeath looked at the Demon's Extract mark on her chest.

"I don't expect you to kill her, But do not hold back on her. Najenda is one of the most dangerous and strategic commanders we've ever faced. Perhaps the best we'll ever have." Scarlet said.

"I don't want to kill her..."

Scarlet walked closely to Esdeath..

"Don't stress yourself, Esdeath. Go get some sleep."

Esdeath looked down, thinking about the meeting she'll have with the others. "How are the other Jaeger recruits?"

"They are approved by the Minister of Imperial Defense. Along with many other commanders and captains of the Imperial Army." Scarlet informed. "I've told them that they will have a meeting, as soon as Kurome is recovered and cleared for battle. Hopefully, with help from Dr. Stylish, she'll be ready in a few days."

"Alright, good." Esdeath said.

Scarlet then hugged her out of pity, Esdeath hugged her back.

"Thank you, Scarlet..."

"You're welcome, Esdeath."

They let go of each other and walked over to their bedrooms.

Kurome was taken into a medical room, her body felt heavy and only ate half of the apple. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep. The guards gently lifted her in a bed as Dr. Stylish placed his hand on her forehead. Dr. Geniene was behind her with a needle.

Kurome's vision started to blur and the voices she heard were echoing.

"There there, little girl. Everything will be alright..." He spoke softly.

"Give her this." Geniene said. "This will help her focus..."

"That won't be necessary, Gene." He pushed her away. "She looks tired after what she's been through."

"I'm just trying to help, you whacky fruit..."

"And I'm here to make sure Kurome is alive and well."

Kurome could see that the shadowy man was waving his hand to the other shadowy figure, telling her to go away. For a brief second, she felt relief.

"Esdeath told me to take good care of you. Have no fear, I'll shape you up in no time..."

Those were the last words Kurome heard before passing out.

Meanwhile, far away from the city, in a large well crafted building merged with a mountain, located only ten kilometers north of the Capitol. This is the Revolutionary Army's hideout.

Inside of the building had many rooms, one of which is for meetings, living quarters and a kitchen, as well as a few outdoor facilities such as training grounds and the hot springs. It's surrounded by the woods and is located near a river in which the Revolutionary Army members could catch fish for cooking.

In the meeting room, they were holding an important meeting with all Night Raid members.

Najenda sits on a large chair as everyone in Night Raid listens. There's six of them with her. Akame, Leone, Mine, Sheele, Lubbock and Bulat. Each of them possess an Imperial Weapon.

Bulat is a big muscular man with a pointy hairstyle who's second in command to guide Night Raid in missions whenever Najenda isn't around. He wields: Demon Armor: Incursio. It's an Armor-type Teigu that takes the form of a short sword with a chain link tassel in its sealed form. When the user releases the sword, the user is enveloped in a full body armor.

Bulat is also known as the "100-Man Slayer." For he has slain a hundred men in one mission. He is also known for his amazing strength, endurance and swordsman skills. Almost no one could match his might.

Sheele is a slender young woman with long purple hair and beautiful matching eyes. She wears glasses and a fancy purple dress. She wields: Cutter of Creation: Extase. It's a giant scissors type weapon that its blades are so sharp, they can cut through titanium like butter. It also has a lack of weight to it, making it easy to swing it around one's arm with ease.

Although she is a klutz and not the most socially-savvy member, her killer instincts are sharp and dangerous. Able to kill her targets quickly and swiftly more than makes up for her position in the group.

Lubbock is a charming late-teen with green hair and eyes, wearing red goggles and a green jacket. He wields: Infinite Uses: Cross Tail. It's a pair of gloves with metallic fingertips that release strings. It can manipulate the strings into anything the user can think of. For its metallic threads can be formed into offensive weapons and defensive equipment. Spears, Tripwires, Shields, Axes, Crossbows, Barrier walls, anything.

His creativity and wits along with his weapon makes him an unpredictable opponent. He's also known to be a bit of a womanizer and girls would fall for his charm, though in many cases, he wasn't even trying.

Leone is a blonde curvaceous woman with short blond hair and golden eyes. She wields: The King Of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle. This teigu is a small belt with a silver hexagon buckle. With the belt, the user can transform into a golden lion beast hybrid, increasing the user's strength, abilities and its sense of smell.

Leone is one of the fiercest and most savage fighters in the group, for she is very competitive and has a nasty habit of charging in fights during missions. Even going so far as to kill her targets so brutally. Making matters worse, she has a flirtatious personality. People in the army get nervous with her since it's hard to tell if she's joking, or being serious.

Mine is a young girl at a mere height of 5'1. She has pink eyes and very long pink hair tied in twin-tails on the left and right sides of her head, she usually wears pink outfits that go with her eyes and hair. She wields: Roman Artillery: Pumpkin. It's a large multipurpose gun that can use spiritual energy and shoot them out like bullets. Single shot, Rapid fire, Double Whammy, any kind of fire shots.

Though she doesn't possess extraordinary abilities, she's very good in her sights and has amazing dexterity with her hands. Making her an expert marksman, leading her to call herself the "Genius Sniper." She's also known to be hot headed and very commending to her soldiers below her rank.

And finally there's Akame, the most dangerous assassin in the team. She is really fast on her feet, has amazing agility, has good sense and reflexes, and is arguably the best swordsman out of the entire Revolutionary Army. She wields: One-Cut Killer: Murasame. A legendary katana that can kill its victims quickly. The blade has a poisonous curse that's so fatal, anyone who so much as touches the blade, will die in a matter of seconds.

Akame is one of the highest ranking members in the force, for she has already killed many targets, who were dangerous, rich and powerful. Her body count is so high, that it has made her the most wanted woman in the city, besides Najenda.

Here, the group gave their undivided attention to Najenda.

"Everyone. I want to point out that we have been doing a very good job at carrying out assassinations and takeovers for the Revolutionary Army. Especially to all of you in Night Raid."

"Thank you, Boss." Akame said.

"Of course, we've done well." Lubbock said cooly. "Bulat and I have taken out the trash better than anyone. And the ladies sure know how to get the job done..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leone asked.

"Take it easy, Leone. You wouldn't wanna disappoint the Boss again, would ya?"

"Don't remind me of that botched job, I was just having fun!" Leone replied in embarrassment.

"Knock it off, you two." Bulat ordered. "Continue."

"Despite our best efforts, small hit jobs and minor territorial gains aren't enough to stop the Empire. Especially not when our king piece has just returned to the chessboard."

Everyone was surprised. Sheele was the one who was scared the most.

"Esdeath?" Mine said.

"Yes, General Esdeath. I received word from one of our spies in the Empire that she has indeed returned to the palace. Apparently, the Empire made a truce to the North. Which includes the Northern Tribe's ever growing army."

"What are we going to do now?" Sheele asked nervously. Mine wrapped her arm around her chest.

"Don't be afraid, we're not going to fight the Empire. Not yet at least."

"What exactly do you have in mind, Najenda? Especially since you told us that 'Ice Queen Killer' is here." Bulat asked.

"Simple." Najenda lights her cigar. "We'll need more than just an army. We'll need to even the odds a little. We'll bring in more powerful weapons. They might not be as powerful as the Empire's Imperial Arms, but unlike the Empire, we can always make more ."

"But how?" Leone asked. "We don't have blacksmiths talented enough to create anything that would match our Teigu."

"There is a possibility." Najenda stands up and looks at the map. "Our soldiers have found people from the outside. They told us something about a city that existed on a large island in the east. This island is called 'Narkabira.'"

"Narkabira?" Bulat asked. "But isn't that island just a burning wasteland with gigantic dinosaurs?"

"Apparently not just that. These people said there's a city called 'Nari' somewhere in the island. What peaked my interest is that they said Nari has made weapons out of these dinosaurs for quite some time now. It seems that these 'Z-Rexes' as they call it- are no longer the rulers of Narkabira."

"Could we have found a possible source to create new powerful weapons?" Akame said.

"I hope we do, Akame."

"We're not sure if these outsiders are telling the truth or they were hallucinating from the heat." Sheele said.

"I'd say it's worth a look." Bulat said.

"I was about to say that. But yeah, I agree." Lubbock replied.

"We'll head over to the Island together. We need to find anything that could help us in this war. Besides, we'll be off radar for a while. Just in case Esdeath and the Empire found our HQ." Najenda said.

"When will we depart?" Akame asked.

"And who will be coming?" Mine added.

"Everyone in Night Raid. We'll leave in four days. In the meantime, I suggest all of you go and pack everything you need. Especially for the hot weather we'll face."

"Yes, Boss." Bulat said.

"Boy, we'll be facing a lot of heat together on this one." Lubbock quipped.

"Any questions?" Najenda asked.

Akame raised her hand.

"Yes, Akame?"

"I'd rather we speak in private about it."

Najenda looks at her, then the whole team, then Akame again.

"Any other questions?" Najenda turns around as she asks. No one said a word. "Then it's over, dismissed."

Everyone headed over to their dorms except for Akame and Najenda. The room is now empty. She walked closer to her Boss to ask her about the most important thing in the world to her.

"What is it, Akame?"

"My sister. Is she alright?"

Najenda looked at her calmly, Akame showed a look of concern and worriedness.

"Are there any reports about her?" Akame asked nervously.

"Akame… I understand that you care for your sister more than anything in this world, besides fighting for a better place. But again, I don't have any information about her..."

Akame frowned. Najenda pats her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Akame."

"Thank you though. Good night, Najenda..." Akame gloomy walks away. _I hope you're okay, Kurome..._ She thought to herself.

Najenda walked over to the other room where the other leader of the Revolutionary Army. A mid-30's man with dark orange hair and usually wears a beret, his name is Vald.

Vald had an interesting military career. He made it to the rank of Major in the Imperial Marines. He served there for four years until he left the Navy and was then invited to take an advisory position at the Ministry of Defense. before briefly working for the Ministry of Defense under Maverick.

Vald over the years became an avid reader of radical politics and while serving under Maverick became aware of how deeply entrenched the corruption within the Empire truly was. They then decided the best way to deliver justice to the people was the overthrow of the Empire altogether and replacing it with a democratic republic. He was one of the founding members of the Revolutionary Army.

Najenda knocked on the door to his room.

"Who is it?" Vald asked.

"This is Najenda. I need to speak to you about our mission."

"Very well." Vald opened the door. Najenda walked inside.

"Now listen, this is very important. I, along with everyone in Night Raid are going to an island called Narkabira. We believe there is a chance to create powerful weapons to even the odds against the Imperial Army."

"Alright, so this means I'll be in charge while you're away."

"Exactly. But don't worry, you'll still have Armeus and Phoebe leading the army. But I wouldn't recommend you order in an attack. We need to keep a low profile in the meantime. It's best to find as many people as we can to join the Revolutionary Army."

"What about the Shizen family? This 'Cherri' girl seems too convenient for the Army."

"She's been secretly supporting us ever since Akame joined us in Night Raid. If Cherri was on the Empire's side, she would've sent in the army to destroy us all. Or worse, Esdeath would've been here and ruined everything."

"I'm still not sure about this..."

"Cherri has given us money and gave us some information about the Empire. She's helped us track down Nouken and a few other noteworthy targets."

"I guess you're right. That alone would get her in trouble with the Empire."

"Furthermore, she's said that her grandfather is doing what he can to help out the Revolutionary Army. He's been going through a guilt trip and wishes to redeem himself before kicking the bucket."

"Could it be Daevon Shizen? I thought he was dead."

"Apparently not. He must be alive if his fortune is still being shared with Cherri. I must inform you that she'll be sending a messenger some time this week. I need you to be cooperative and welcome him into the army."

"And how am I supposed to know that messenger?"

"He will identify himself with the codeword: 'Avid Razen.'"

"Alright, Avid Razen. Got it."

Najenda walked away and opened the door.

"Will you be coming back?" Vald asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'll do my best to come back for at least a month."

"Please return, we need you to win this war."

"For now, we must prepare ourselves to match with their army and have a plan ready. I promise you... When the round is over, I'll be the one standing before Esdeath..."


	8. Chapter 7: Kill The Degenerates

After a week of recovery, Kurome had passed all tests handed to her and came out 100% healthy. Much sooner than expected, but it was all thanks to Dr. Stylish's procedures and medication.

Today was Friday, almost about to be nighttime. Kurome was eating a bowl of chicken soup and pasta in the doctor's health lab. She had been in the training room practicing her sword skills, one of the doctors was watching her and got a pass from the test. She was ready to go.

The meeting was about to begin, everyone of the Jaegers were waiting for their general to return with the final member to complete the team.

Esdeath walked to the health lab while holding a briefcase and headed to the door to Kurome's temporary room. She was laying down, thinking to herself in a hospital gown, till she heard the door knocked.

"Who is it?" Kurome asked.

"It is time for the meeting." Esdeath said before opening the door.

"Alright, but… Should I head over there like this?"

Esdeath walked inside, she placed the briefcase on the bed.

"No. But the good doctor and I found a set of clothes for you." Kurome opened the briefcase and looked inside.

"Please get dressed, I'll leave you be." She left and closed the door.

Kurome lifted up a black sailor shirt. She also saw a skirt along with red gauntlets and a red belt inside. The red and black colors remind her of her sister Akame.

She almost teared up, but did her best to hold back the tears as she began to dress up. After about two minutes, she left the room with her new outfit on.

"Are you ready for this?" Esdeath asked.

"Yes..." Kurome answered quietly.

Esdeath could tell she was still nervous about the meeting. So she gave her a friendly pat on her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid, I'll be there with you."

Kurome held her hand. "OK..."

They walked through the confidence room, Kurome was following Esdeath through the hallways. Once they reached the door, Esdeath held her hand down.

"Kurome, wait here until I call you..." She stood still while Esdeath opened the door.

Everyone of the Jaegers looked as soon as Esdeath was in sight.

"Everyone, I would like to welcome our 7th and final member of the Jaegers. Please welcome, Kurome."

Esdeath opened the door for her, Kurome walked inside the room with a pensive expression on her face. Everyone looked at her. Some with concern. The only one who's surprised by her appearance was Seryu because Kurome bears a striking resemblance to the "Night Raid one hit assassin" whom she vowed to kill someday.

Kurome didn't say a word. She just lifted her hand and waved it slowly.

"Hello..." She said quietly.

"A normal girl?" Wave thought to himself as he looked at Kurome.

"My my, that outfit suits her so well..." Dr. Stylish said to himself.

"Criminal..." Seryu glared at her as Koro mildly growled. Esdeath held her shoulders nicely.

"She has been through a lot before arriving here in the Palace, so please give her a warm welcome. Obviously, I've told her all about myself and she should know that I'm one of the highest ranking generals. Please introduce yourselves to her."

The five other Jaegers just looked at Kurome. Thinking about how they would introduce themselves.

 _Well shit, I guess I got to say something_. Wave thought to himself. He then stood up.

"Hello, Kurome. My name is Wave. I'm a sailor. I've served for almost four years in the Imperial Navy. Because of my service and impressive records, along with my Imperial weapon, I was called in to this group."

"Wave is one of the best young fighters we have. Quite surprising for a man in the countryside of the eastern Empire. He shows a lot of promise and I know he'll be a very good asset."

"What about your teigu?" Kurome asked.

"Oh, mine? It's the Grand Chariot. It's an armor that enhances my strength and abilities. It comes from my sword. Pretty convenient for storage and immediate action. I'll do my best to help out my teammates as much as I can. That is all."

"Thank you, Wave." Esdeath said.

"OK..." Kurome said. She didn't know what to say. Run stood up.

"My name is Run. My imperial arm is the Thousand-Mile Flight: Mastema. It allows me to sprout wings and allows me to fly. Even shooting feathers out like projectiles. I was a teacher for a school in a nice town called Joyou. I joined the military for… much needed services. Especially in this time of civil conflict."

"He's right." Esdeath said. "Which is something we must talk about after we're done introducing ourselves to you."

"Very well then..." Dr. Stylish stands up and strikes a pose.

"I am Dr. Stylish. And I am the most stylishly stunning doctor you'll ever see in your life. I have a marvelous vision of conducting experiments, as well as fashion, weapons and anything that can shine like a beautiful butterfly. Make no mistake, I can create art, for I possess… The Glorious Hands of God…"

He then showed off his gloves.

"Behold! The Perfector! It gives me incredible finger precision, speed and dexterity. With these, I can place a thread in the needle without a struggle. As well as conducting my art with such-"

"Alright, that's enough, Doctor." Esdeath said.

Kurome just stared at him like she's seen a clown.

"Oh yeah… He tends to get carried away when it comes to his… accomplishments." Wave added.

"Please don't get carried away with your experiments next time." Esdeath scolded him.

"My apologies." Stylish said shrugging it off.

"Kurome, I know he may appear to be strange. But he is very loyal and very connected. Since he's been part of many imperial agencies these past couple of years." Esdeath explained.

"And if I may, have done my best to conduct safe medical procedures and improve combat drugs. Unfortunately, I've yet to find a solution to fix the combat drugs and it's painfully rigged side effects. So she'll just have to rely on those painkillers until I can find an alternative." Dr. Stylish said.

Just when Kurome looked at Bols, she noticed Seryu with her arms crossed and stared at her.

"Um… You are?" Kurome asked.

"My name is Seryu Ubiquitous. I am a proud servant of justice, as a member of the Imperial Police for over five years. And I do not take kindly to criminals."

"Oh..." Kurome stepped back after hearing her say that. She noticed Koro growling a little. "Is… is that your dog?"

"Yes. This is Koro. He is also my crime fighting partner and teigu."

"Really?"

"Oh yes." Dr. Stylish jumped in. "He is actually Hekatonkheires. The Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires. Long name, but Seryu gave him a short name. Koro."

"How does it work?"

Seryu didn't want to talk about it, but Dr. Stylish continued.

"You see, Koro is only activated when a user implants their blood within the dog to awaken it. It took some time to have her and Koro's blood and tissue merge together. Koro is like a powerful animal you can use as a weapon, even using it as a shield."

"Thank you, Stylish..." Seryu growled.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Didn't Esdeath tell you not to get carried away with your work?"

"Yes, I know. Dear me, I would love to have told Kurome about The Judgement of the Ten Heavenly Kings."

Seryu sighed angrily.

"The Judgement of Ten Heavenly Kings?" Kurome asked.

"I'll tell you about some other time, sweetie." Dr. Stylish smiled.

"Alright then, that only leaves us with-" Esdeath said until Kurome interrupted her.

"Him?" Kurome pointed at Bols. She was very nervous, especially with his unsettling mask. She could've sworn that she felt his pupils touching her forehead. Soon enough, she was shaking nervously.

"Don't be afraid, Kurome." Esdeath said softly.

"Ah-ah-I..." Kurome stuttered.

"Hello, Kurome. My name is Bols. Nice to meet you."

That friendly warm hearted voice coming out of the mask gave Kurome a look of disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Bols spoke again.

"Oh! Um… No. It's just… I didn't expect you to sound so… nice."

"I get that all the time, but it's not nice to judge people by their looks."

"Yeah… Um… I know that now..." Kurome muttered. Esdeath patted her head.

"Relax, Kurome. He may look scary, but besides Esdeath. He's the nicest guy in the team." said Wave.

"Well… That's a relief." Kurome sighed.

"It's true. I must address this to you." Run said. "He wears that mask because although he is a very strong, very dependable fighter, he is shy and the fear in his face can be shown. Especially when it comes to the battlefield."

"And more importantly- Don't tell this to anyone but us, Kurome..." Esdeath said.

"What is it, Esdeath?"

"Not only that, but he also has an identity that must be kept secret. For he is a man with a wonderful family."

"You have a family?" Kurome gasped.

"Yes, I do. I have a wife and daughter. Kije and Logue."

Kurome was at loss for words. She never thought that a man like him would ever have a family.

"What about your Imperial arm?" Run asked.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. I have a flamethrower. It's called Purgatory's Invitation: Rubicante. It's a very dangerous weapon. For its flames can not be extinguished. Even if you jumped into the water, it would not work. It will stay there, burning until my… target dies."

Kurome held her breath.

"I know… It's scary. But I would never burn down innocent people." There was a small hint of regret on his voice.

"I have faith in you, Bols. I know it's tough, I've killed people who refuse to submit and stop fighting. But once again, we must stay strong and be prepared for what could happen soon." Esdeath spoke.

"Hold on, General." Wave held his hand. "I must ask you if we're all gonna be in this together for this job."

"Of course, Wave."

"We have introduced ourselves to Kurome. But what about her though?"

All eyes were on Kurome. She couldn't open her mouth. Not even move her lips. Esdeath stepped in, placed her hand on her head and spoke to the members for her.

"Kurome was trained to be an elite assassin. One of the Empire's best along with her sister. Akame, who you may know as a traitor who recently joined the Revolutionary Army after being sent to take out this woman…"

She threw down a poster of Najenda on the table.

"Najenda. A former personal friend of mine. She convinced Akame to join them. Akame now may in fact be one of the most dangerous assassins at their disposal. But luckily, Kurome remained loyal to her betters despite the devastating personal blow it dealt her."

Kurome nodded her head gloomly.

"I'm really sorry about that, Kurome." Wave said.

"What about her Imperial Arm?" Run asked.

"She wields the March of the Dead: Yatsufusa." Esdeath answered.

"I see, like her sister, she wields a katana. One that kills in one hit and the other controlling puppets." Run continued.

"That is correct..." Kurome said slowly.

"Now then, as we all know. You are called in for this important duty to not just be a group to counter Night Raid, but also serve as a special police force to serve and protect the Empire. And even those who are in need outside the borders should we go outside the Empire."

"So… We're basically police officers with a higher authority than normal guards?"

"That's also correct, Wave. Our authority even exceeds even the regular Imperial Police. Now, let's go through our calling here. Our responsibility."

Esdeath threw down the map on the table, showing the center of the Capital, formerly known as "Yamagrad".

"We'll be going out on important missions whenever the Imperial Security Council calls for our help. One of the assistants of the Ministry of Public Administration- and a personal friend of mine, Scarlet, will be helping us by handing out information and informing us with the suspects during the briefing. Make no mistake, I'm still your general. But with her expertise in the political field and having many ties with the Crown Leagues will expand our search for criminals and suspects."

"So basically… You're our leader and Scarlet is our informant?" Wave asked.

"Yes. That is a simple way of looking at it." Esdeath replied.

"Alright..." Wave nodded.

"I must inform all of you that I'm not just your leader for the six of you. I'm still one of the highest ranking generals in the Imperial Army. There will be times where I won't be there to guide and fight alongside with you. Which brings us to..."

Esdeath raised her arm to Run, telling him to stand up.

"Run will be your second in command, should I be occupied for any other reason. I have faith that he'll help you out on any mission just fine. His records and performances tell me that he's very intelligent and helpful to lead a group easily."

Run bowed his head. "Thank you, General Esdeath."

"Now then… Does anyone have any questions?"

Kurome raised her hand.

"Yes, Kurome?"

"Will this kind of service be permanent for the rest of us?"

Everyone looked at Esdeath, she could tell right away that Kurome wasn't so sure about the Jaegers group would be a one time deal. Since her previous work of Imperial service was to be part of the Imperial assassination team for life.

"No. It will not be a life sentence to everyone who's chosen for this highly important group. This is just a temporary assignment until we defeat the Revolutionary Army and finish the war. Once again, we were called in to hunt down Night Raid..."

Kurome gave out a worried look as soon as she heard that.

"This does remind me… I found Kurome a week ago. She's been out in the wilderness all alone. She told me that Akame left her to go to the Revolutionary Army and had been struggling to survive ever since. But she still misses her sister very much. Like all Night Raid targets, our policy prioritizes on taking her alive. However, if it's a life or death situation, then the use of lethal force is permitted to ensure the safety of our team members."

"Thank you..." Said Kurome. She was visibly nervous.

"What's wrong? I made it clear that I'll do my best to keep your sister alive."

"It's not that, Esdeath. It's just that… I'm scared to be back here."

"Why is that?"

"I don't want to be kept here as a slave again." Kurome shed a tear. "I have nowhere to go. I've lost a lot of great friends of mine before that horrible mission."

"What horrible mission?"

A horrible sight comes back to Kurome's eyes.

"We were supposed to be finished after that mission. Eli told me that we'd have a nice home to stay and be away from it all."

"Eli." Esdeath recognized the name. "Oh yes, I've heard about that day. It was horrible..."

"What happened?" Wave asked.

Once again, Kurome couldn't speak. From the look in her eyes, she was seeing those horrible sights and it seemed like she's traveling back to that tragic day. Esdeath knew what she was talking about. She hugged her and once again spoked for Kurome.

"She was part of a small unit that consisted of orphans. They were raised from the Empire, to become assassins." She grunted at the thought of the Empire contributing such a rule.

"She was once part of the Elite Seven. Led by a skillful swordsman and one of the previous commanders of the Imperial Army, Gozuki. After he was killed by Akame, it was led by Eli. That was the same group Kurome used to be part of."

"Excuse me, but who is this Eli you mentioned?" Run interrupted.

"I was about to get to him, Run." Esdeath could tell Kurome's heart sank as she mentioned the name.

"I miss him..." Kurome whimpered.

"Yes, I know you do." Esdeath patted her head. "To answer your question, he was a treasure hunter for the Crown Financial League. His previous accomplishments were so impressive that the Armed Forces of the Empire hired him to be one of the supervisors for the assassination groups."

Esdeath had a look of pity.

"He was sent to kill a gang of bandits, along with her and two of their teammates. They were Natala and Gin. It was supposed to be an easy sweep, but the reports said that there was a traitor in the Empire and his cronies awaiting them to steal one of the Imperial Arms. And a swarm of Leopard-like danger beasts, it led to a bloody massacre. Eli and Gin were found brutally killed. It was the last known location Kurome and Natala were in before they disappeared."

Kurome held her sword tightly.

"Please forgive me for asking, but what happened to Natala?", asked Wave.

"Natala was bleeding in his stomach… I didn't want him to suffer… So I… I stabbed him with my sword."

"You killed him to end his suffering?" Esdeath asked with concern.

"No… He's still with me in this sword..."

Seryu raised her hand.

"What is it, Seryu?"

"I say we kill her." Seryu said harshly. Koro jumped up into the table and growled in anger. Kurome looked at her in fear.

"What is the meaning of this?" Esdeath asked.

"You killed your partner, ran away from your Imperial officers and you expect me to believe that you were struggling outside in the wild?"

"You're taking this too far, Seryu!" Wave yelled.

"I was about to say, stop this." Run joined in.

"What were you really doing out there, Kurome? Plotting to spy on us?" Her focus was on Kurome. Ignoring everyone else.

"No, I wasn't! I didn't do anything! I just wanted to find my sister!" Kurome began to cry.

"You're stepping out of line, Seryu." Esdeath said sternly.

"I'm not, General. We shouldn't take chances with a relative to a criminal! Justice never forgets crime. The family of a criminal is a criminal as well! I say we make her tell us where Night Raid is hiding, if she doesn't tell us, we kill her!"

"But I don't know where they are!" Kurome cried.

"The Doctor and I will be the judge of that, now call off Koro right now. That is an order." Esdeath spoke very sincerely.

"Please understand, I'm trying to help here. We don't know much about her..." Seryu was starting to get nervous.

"Please stop it… Esdeath..." Kurome begged as she hid behind Esdeath's legs.

Koro was walking closer to Kurome on the table, Esdeath took out her rapier and slammed it to the table. Koro barked, Seryu gasped.

"Is he through?" The ice started to come out of the blade and almost touched Koro's feet. "I will not repeat myself again." Esdeath stated.

Seryu felt like a shockwave passed through her body when she saw Esdeath looking at her angrily. Seryu looked at Esdeath, then to Kurome and back at Esdeath again.

"Koro, back!" Seryu commanded. Koro moaned and quickly ran back to Seryu's arms.

"That's better." Esdeath put her rapier. "I'll have a word with you tomorrow..."

"I'm sorry." Seryu immediately regretted lashing out at Kurome.

"Seryu… Why would you do that?" Dr. Stylish asked her, disappointed.

"I thought she was guilty..."

"Look at her, Seryu… She's been struggling outside for a long time. And I can tell you for a fact that during my time with her in the medical lab, she's been sad, cold, hungry and suffering."

"Yeah, really. Besides, look at her. Does she look like she's a spy?" Wave added.

"From what I heard from the reports relating to recent Night Raid attacks, there was no sign that Kurome was part of the group. Why is she outside in the forest trying to survive if she was in cahoots with the Revolutionary Army? That doesn't make any sense." Run explained.

Seryu grunted in regret and frustration. Knowing that her most dangerous target she wanted to kill is her teammate's own sister. Where her general ordered her NOT to kill.

"I just want to be with my sister again..." Kurome cried.

"I will do my best to help you reunite with your sister, Kurome." Esdeath replied. "And that means we do not kill Akame unless she is posing an imminent danger to yourself or your comrades." She stared at Seryu.

Everyone nodded except Seryu. "Is that clear?" Esdeath told Seryu.

"Yes, Esdeath. Crystal clear." Seryu spoke like she's freezing outside.

Esdeath lifted Kurome's chin up.

"Listen, I'm not sure where you'll go after we win the war. But rest assured, you'll have a new home when this is over. Whether or not you have your sister back. Don't forget, I'll be there for you through it all."

"Yes, Esdeath. Thank you." Kurome sniffed.

"Your welcome." Esdeath replied.

 _Poor Kurome…_ Wave thought to himself.

"General, I do have a question." Bols said.

"Yes, Bols?"

"How will we operate when we go out on missions together?"

"That's a good question." Esdeath let go of Kurome and stood up. "It will work like any other squad. I lead the operation. And if I'm not around, Run would take the lead. Everyone except Dr. Stylish should know how this would work. But before we head out on missions, we have to do some training to get ourselves ready for our position in the Jaegers."

"Alright, when will we be sent to our first mission?" Bols added.

"That depends on when we'll be called in for a mission where the Empire needs us to combat Night Raid or solve a situation that's too dangerous for regular police to handle. It's their call."

"Okay." Bols finished. The room got quiet afterwards.

"Any other questions?" Esdeath asked. The clock bell rang and it was now midnight.

"Well, we'll have to continue this discussion tomorrow. In the meantime, go to your assigned dorm rooms and sleep. We'll begin our training at 9:00."

"Wait!" Kurome barked.

"Yes, Kurome?" Esdeath said.

"I don't have my own room. Where do I sleep?"

"Unfortunately, your room won't be ready for another three days. But that won't be a problem. Would you like to sleep back at the Doctor's health room or would you like to sleep with me in my room?"

Kurome thought about it for a while.

"You."

"Alright then, come with me." Esdeath grabbed her hand and took her to her room.

Meanwhile, over on the southeastern parts of the outside, just 15 miles away from the Capital, Night Raid were walking somewhere nestled with the forest. Najenda had everyone prepare the camping ground to go to sleep for the night. Bulat and Lubbock set up the tents while the women prepared their beds. Only Akame was in charge of the campfire.

While the camp is being set, Najenda is looking up on the map.

"Are we making progress, boss?" Bulat asked.

"Yes, we are Bulat. According to the map, we should be able to reach Narkabira in about less than a week."

"On foot or on water?" Sheele asked.

"On water, yes. It will take some time to reach the ocean. When we do, we'll have to build a boat by ourselves. We don't need to attract any attention to the Empire by stealing a boat."

"But we need a boat to get to the island." Mine added.

"Leave that to the professional." Najenda waved her hand to Akame.

Mine then looked at her who just finished lighting the fire.

"I'll take care of that." Akame spoke.

Mine just looked at her like she'd been caught stealing off a cookie jar.

"Did you build a model of a warship for Najenda as a gift?" Lubbock suddenly spok .

"I didn't know that!" Mine was stunned.

"Oh, well… It's what I like to do in my spare time other than cook. I like to build boats."

"She's quite accurate and very calculating with her boats." Bulat added. "She'll help us on how to build a real one."

"But more importantly, can we begin looking for food now?" Akame smiled.

"Yes, Akame." Najenda answered. "You may look out for food now."

"I'm coming with you, girl!" Leone shouted.

"Hold on, I'll help you two out." Mine grunted as she picked up her Pumpkin.

"Thank you. I need someone to cut down some meat without using my sword." Akame said.

The three girls headed off to go and hunt for food. As they searched for animals to eat, three creepy men were walking in the woods, looking for a place to lay low for the night.

The leader of the group calls himself: "Kill-Gore." He's a small pansy looking man with long hair and beard who wears heavy clothes and spikey gear to make himself tougher than he actually is.

He also wore a blood red bandana, studded wristbands, dark jeans with silver chains and leather belt with metal paddings, jacket with spikes on the shoulders and a zipper with a wide opening for his crotch.

The two men accompanying him are a mildly handsome man with a hat and jeans carrying two revolvers. His name is "Judan" and the other is a tall dog-like man named "Donari," He has a strange noodle mohawk and dog ears, wearing a filthy tracksuit, no shoes due to his feet being huge paws. Along with his hands.

They saw smoke coming out in the sky. Before they could head to the fire, Kill-Gore brought out his binoculars. He saw some people still getting ready for dinner.

And it's right there where they spotted the camping ground. Their figures were enough to get Kill-Gore aroused.

"Well color me a sucker! We've got some pretty good looking babes tonight..." He spoke deviously.

"Looks like I'll be sleeping with my baby tonight." Donari drooled.

"Hold on, big boy." Judan blocked Donari. "What exactly are we dealing with here? Hunters? Merchants? Actors? What?"

"Just two guys, nothing to worry about." Kill-Gore said.

"Are you sure? Because the last time you were 'sure' about robbing an empty house, you shot down five people. Forgetting the fact we were near a town." He was irritating Kill-Gore.

"Ey, I had to do it! They were gonna snitch us!" He growled.

"Why did you kill that little boy when he ran?!" Donari barked.

"Just to prove a point that we're not pushovers and strike an edge to scare the piss out of the Empire! We hide in shadows and make our mark to become legends!" Kill-Gore raised his shotgun.

"It was supposed to be a burglary job, Kel!" Judan reminded him.

"Wha I tell bout' callin me that?!" Kill-Gore replied.

"He's right though, all we had to do was steal money and some goodies from a house you thought was empty." Donari commented.

"And because you're so concerned about being a big deal to be infamous on the posters, you had to shoot down every close to us and we had to lay low from the town folk." Judan added.

"Don't talk to me about being reckless and right!" Kill-Gore pointed. "You're one to talk. Mr. I'm too high to keep my job as an officer!"

"Hey, I had a lot of hard work and heavy competition to go through. I'm lucky to be alive now, my friend Barton wasn't so lucky. His head was punched right out of his body from the fat bastard."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Kill-Gore babbled as his eyes focused on Donari. "And can't say you're any better too, ya little poon-hound."

"I'm a dog, Kel. I can't help myself." He moaned.

"Stop calling me, Kel!"

"Look, are we going to sleep or not?" Judan butted in. "Should we ask for help and kill on sight? it's not like the outside has any rules around here."

"Yeah, I know." Kill-Gore replied. "And I also know a place where we can get the best weapons..."

"What place are you talking about?" Donari asked.

"Oh, yeah. There's this place called 'The Hydra Citadel.' It's like some kind of weapon storage fort where the Empire create new weapons for their military or sum shit like that."

"But isn't that place heavily guarded? Like really hard to break in?" Donari asked Judan.

"I've never been there, but I heard that they have like 500 guards inside and outside the fort. And that's not even counting the garrison stationed there. It has 2 or 3 story walls and the armed with rifles. The place is guarded 24/7."

"Wow, all 500 men guarding that place all day with no coffee breaks? The Empire's more cruel than I thought." Kill-Gore said. "Wouldn't they get tired and weak to defend it from anyone?"

"Of course they don't have guards defending it all week long!" Judan replied, irritated at his stupidity. "They have different crews working on each day of the week."

"Oh… You mean like there's some people working on Monday's then some different set of guys come in on Tuesdays and another set of people on Wen-" Judan interrupted Kill-Gore.

"Yeah yeah, that. You get the idea. But you're on your own if you're thinking of going in there and steal a few guns inside. You'd have to be a kamikaze kid if you think you're getting away with a stunt like that."

"Maybe you're right." Kill-Gore grunted.

"Hey, guys! Look what we got here..." Donari pointed at the three girls, who are walking in plain sight. With Leone dragging a deer that was bound and deceased.

"We got some pretty good looking girls. One good for shakin' booty, One rattling lookin' pinky, and one serious chick who's on a roll." Donari was panting.

"You're terrible at quipping, Donari." Kill-Gore grunted.

"Holy shit- guys! This is no time for a joke! We've got real big trouble now!" Judan couldn't believe his eyes.

"What is it?" Donari barked.

"Don't you fucking see- that's th- That's the fucking girls from Night Raid! I recognize those faces from the posters!"

"Oh..." Donari answered dumbly, before realizing what's happening. "Oh hot damn! They are as purtty as they are killer! They sure got a handle of me, I'm pumped up for this!"

"Please stop." Judan begged. His hands rest on the gun's handles.

"I'll handle this." Kill-Gore stepped in.

"God damn it, Kel." Judan muttered to himself.

The three assassins stopped walking, they glared at the creeps.

"I must say, you all look real good. If looks could kill, I'd be a dead man on the spot."

All three of the girls looked at him like they've seen a goof.

"This is not good..." Judan thought to himself.

"But of course, I'm not an easy man to defeat that just goes down, One Two, Three!"

"Look, we don't want any trouble, my boy here is a bit out of it, so… We'll just be on our way. So come on, let's go, Kel-"

"Hey, Assface!" Kill-Gore shouted back. "I told you not to call me that! How many times do I gotta say it?! I'm the spark lightning, cannonball blazing, killer of a dead society itself, Kill-Gore!"

Judan cringed in fear.

"So you are Kill-Gore?" Akame asked.

"Yep, that's right! I'm the real deal! The Kill-Gore!"

"Murderer." Akame said. Her eyes turned to snake eyes.

"Yeah, I'm a killer. And you're all killers too, what's the difference?"

"We go after the bad guys and Imperial scum! You shot down a young boy in the head!" Mine shouted angrily.

"We've heard about it in town. You look like a bunch of rebel wannabes." Leone said.

"Really, we're about making a territory for people to get in line! And show the Empire who the real bosses are!"

"You really need to get your priorities straight." Judan moaned.

"Fuck you, I know how to run this shit. These bitches got nothing on us, all they can do is suck it!" Kill-Gore yelled with pride.

"I will see that you rest in pieces..." Akame said as she took out her sword.

"Fine, I'll take down that shirtless guy." Mine grabbed her Pumpkin.

"Hey, dog man, how about we go a little one on one together?" Leone cliched her knuckles, smiling for the action.

"Hell yeah, girl! I'm gonna do you doggy style!" Donari barked as he walked closely to her.

"You better get down and say sorry..." Kill-Gore said before grabbing his shotgun and aiming to Akame. "Or I'll blow your heads off!"

 _If all goes well, I'll get my redemption from their dead bodies!_ Judan thought to himself.

Akame gripped the hilt and started walking. Kill-Gore fired at her, but Akame easily dodged the slugs and took out her sword.

Just then, Judan quickly pulled out his gun and fired at Mine. Akame blocked the bullet with her blade and ran to Kill-Gore with incredible speed.

"Oh shit, she blocked the one..." Judan was stunned that Akame blocked his bullet. Before he could react, Mine shot Judan's head, the bullet went through his skull like a beam.

Akame sliced Kill-Gore's hand, the pain of the cut got him to lose his grip and dropped his shotgun.

"Ow!" He yelled. "You bitch!"

Akame stopped on a dime. She put away her sword and just looked at him.

"You think that would stop me?!" Kill-Gore smirked.

"It's already over..."

Just then, Kill-Gore felt something going through his blood veins. His heart started to pump fast and felt like his body was getting cut with razor blades on the inside.

"Arugh! No!" He yelled, starting to cry. "Please! I don't wanna die!"

Akame just walked through him as if he didn't exist. Not long afterwards, he fell down on his face. Dead.

"Rest in pieces..."

Akame and Mine were grabbing the deer meat as Leone kept toying with Donari. Who is struggling to land a hit on Leone. His face is beaten up and is staggering on his feet. The two girls knew it was only a matter of time before Leone killed him.

"Is that all you got?" Leone lands a jab on his chin. "Is that all you got dog boy?" She then kneed him in the gut, making him down on his knees.

"P-please… I wanna fuck ya..." He muttered. Leone grabbed his hands and started whacking him.

"Stupid dog, you're supposed to hit me! Not yourself!" Leone was enjoying the pain she was dishing out on him and Donari couldn't do anything about it to save his life.

"Stop! Le-let me go! Let me live! Let me be your road hog… " He struggled to speak.

"Come on, Leone. Stop wasting your time on that filthy mutt and go back to the base!" Mine insisted.

"I'm starving." Akame added.

"Alright." Leone moaned. "Let me just finish this big boy..." She raised his body up with her left arm and winds up her right fist.

She punched his head off his spine and sent it flying in the air.

"Score!" Leone cheered.

They headed back to the camping ground and the people in the campfire were relieved to see them back.

"I heard some shots. What happened, Mine?" Sheele asked.

"Just some three good for nothing creeps, nothing more than we could take care of." Mine spoke with pride.

"Come on, you know these three can kill guards easily." Said Lubbock.

"I know, but I worry for her safety." Sheele replied.

"Let's cook." Said Akame.

After cooking the deer and preparing a stew for Night Raid, they started eating. To no one's surprise, Akame finished her plate before anyone else. During dinner, Sheele was making something. This caught Mine's attention.

"What are you making, Sheele?"

"A bracelet." Sheele held it up for Mine to see. It was black with the letters spelling out words. On the top, it reads: "F-R-I-E-N-D" with a heart next to the word. On the bottom, it reads: "F-O-R-E-V-E-R". Mine was staring at it.

"I made this as a token to show you how much I like you as a friend." She was still holding the bracelet up. "Take it."

Mine took the bracelet. Unsure how to react in front of people around her eating their meal. She was touched, but didn't want to show any sign of "weakness" to everyone, as she had been doing everything she could to show everyone she's not scared and is in command.

"Th-thank you..." Mine muttered.

"When this war is over, let's go and spend time together. Promise?"

"Ye-yes..."

"Perfect." Sheele smiled.

"Relax, Mine. There's no need to keep up the tough girl act. We're all partners here." Said Bulat.

"Ah-I know that!" Mine retorted.

"Lower your voice, Mine." Najenda spoke and stood up. "We should arrive at the beach tomorrow. And when we do, we'll start building a boat. We should also start loading up some meat and equipment we'll need to face the heat. If this goes out well, we'll find Nari and see if they could help us by setting up the Revolutionary Army with some much needed fire-power."

"And with any luck, the Empire will believe we're retreating or dead so that no one will come find us in Narkabira." Bulat added.

"As long as we're together and stay strong, we'll be able to finish the boat in no time with no one to interfere and avoid detection from the Empire." Najenda said as she lit up a cigar.

"For now, the war will have to wait. The Imperial Army will still be on their toes with our disappearance. I really hate to leave out a few people out there in the open, but we need more than just raw numbers of troops to successfully take the Capital. Is that clear to everyone?"

"Yes, boss!"

"Good, now let's get some shut eye."

Everyone went to their tents and began to sleep. Except for Najenda, who was staring at the night sky, thinking of Esdeath.

"Just you wait, Esdeath. When we meet again, I'll be prepared with a counter that you least expected..."


End file.
